Beauty & The Gospel ISSUE NO 6 VOL 3

Beauty & The Gospel MADE PERFECT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

WHY

Did I Lose My Job If God Loves Me? DISCERNING YOUR C.A.L.L.I.N.G

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His Word is Spirit & Truth!

SHOULD I GO BACK TO CHURCH, DURIING OR POST COVID-19?

PLUS! The fruits born from TRAILS & TRIBULATIONS

ISSUE NO 6 VOL 3 JULY 2020

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beef fillet recipe & WHY FORGIVE ?

VISION ROMANS 15:20-21 20 Accordingly I set a goal to preach the gospel, not where Christ’s name was already known, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21 but [instead I would act on this goal] as it is written [in Scripture], “They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard [of Him] shall understand.”

MISSION 1 CORINTHIANS 1:17 17 For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be [b]made ineffective [deprived of its saving power].

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

MINISTER MONICA I am a Christian Influencer who encourages, motivates and equips others through the Word of God.

EV . ANGUS & JILL BUCHAN

KENDRA DUBLIN

servants of God, lover of Jesus Christ , parents , grandparents and soul harvesters.

I am an energetic free spirit that loves life. In my spare time i love to do puzzles.

PROPHET G

MR & MRS LWAMBWA

PASTOR NTSAKO

servant of God, businessman, father and husband. I love making people laugh! and traveling.

Pastor and Deaconess with a passion for young people and bringing marriages back to the cross .

married to one wife, Tiyiselani. I enjoy cooking and learning new stuff. I'm mostly passionate about serving God

MARLYN ROJAS

CHEF MILCA

BOLANLE ENANG

Honored to serve. Ordained Minister, founder of Radiant Woman International, and Author of DISTORTED.

Chef, wife , mother , Pastor, transformational Speaker and Relationship coach.

Family Life Enthusiast, Author and Convener of Signature family building workshops|

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

PASTOR BONGANI

APOSTLE FUMANE

DR ANDRÉ AND JENNY ROEBERT

i am a loving husband and father of two. I love studying the Word of God.

Author of Manna Daily Devotions book. The founder and overseer of Seobi Ministries International in Vereeniging, South Africa

pastors , parents, lovers of Jesus Christ and His Word.

Founders of Faith Tv

Becoming a contributor

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Beauty & The Gospel

CONTENTS

Editor's Note

Unlocking a Passionate Prayer Life Passionate prayers please the heart of a passionate God THE PRAYER OF JONAH life lessons taken from Jonah

Fruits born out of trails & tribulations STIGMA never to judge a book by its cover SHOULD I CHURCH OR NOT, DURIING OR POST COVID-19?

ANXIETY HATES ACTION What Controls Your Parenting?

To walk in purpose you must agree with God! TRUST GOD “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD" DEVOTIONS BY KAY

EXCLUSIVE Doing it for the sake of their generation. Youth leaders Nicky & Tyneal van der Westhuizen.

ISSUE NO 6 VOL 3

editor's note Your majesty THE NARROW GATE Matthew 7:13-14 NLT 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever FIND IT.

tsakani mhlongo editor-in-chief Photo by @maano_photography Styled by @vintage__vybz

When we read this verse beloved it starts by saying “You can enter God‘s Kingdom ONLY through the narrow gate”. As we know in life we can enter in different spaces in different ways and routes, sometimes that’s where corruption and greed stems from.

But we read in this verse that to enter the Kingdom of God it’s only through the narrow gate. Let’s look at the word narrow according to the dictionary it means: “Of small width in relation to length.” but according to the Bible it means : being holy, living a consecrated life, patiently enduring hardships, being faithful till the end , holding on firmly to the truth that was revealed to us in the beginning , being hated and rejected by the world , picking up our cross and following King Jesus, a life of sacrifice, a life of war as we are soldiers in the Kingdom, a life of pleasing God and not people, a life of not being politically correct , a life of loving those who hate us and blessing those who curse us. A life of eyes being fixed on Jesus. I could go on and on. But with this note I just wanted to remind you that let’s keep on keeping on. A narrow life is not easy, even the Bible says so but if we want to really be with Jesus in eternity this is the Only Way. IT’s always and honor to work on this magazine for the Body of Christ and glory for my King. Write us your comments and thoughts to our email: beautyandthegospel@gmail.com it might just be printed!

If you happen to be a new reader, WELCOME ABOARD BELOVED. That’s it for now, till next time, you’re loved by Him and I.

VOL. 6| JULY 2020

B&TG NEWS CHRISTIANS IN THE KNOW!

OVERVIEW: Evangelical couple makes the news as an example of how to celebrate a wedding in times of Covid-19 Source: www.evangelicalfocus.com

Despite restrictions that reduced the number of guests to only 50, Gustavo and Dalila decided to go ahead with their wedding. 2,000 followed online a ceremony in which they spoke about God’s faithfulness in the midst of difficult times.

The day of the wedding, only 50 people were sitting on the benches of the large evangelical church of Marín. But the faces of ten close relatives were projected on the walls of the church with a projector. “It was very emotional, they were following everything live, and we could see them live as well.

All were dressed for the wedding, the children wearing the special clothes we had bought for them.

We were assured that nothing is by chance, so we decided to put God’s desires above ours. We wanted to be ready to see his hand working, our prayer was, “your will be done and not ours”. Of course we would have loved to have a wedding with no facemasks and hugs, but this things become secondary when you’re ready to accept God’s will. Everything went much better than expected, and over 2,000 people heard that Jesus loves them!

Palestinians Riot Over Jews Praying At Joseph’s Tomb 'The Revival is Spreading': Souls Find Salvation on the Streets of Minneapolis Prophecy: The Holy Spirit Is Brooding Over Argentina DISCLAIMER B&TG NEWS is a Christian news segment that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world.

Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. We do not exclusively create our own content.

Any views or opinions presented on this segment are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Beauty & The Gospel.

'The Revival is Spreading': Souls Find Salvation on the Streets of Minneapolis Source: www1.cbn.com

The streets of Minneapolis where George Floyd was killed are being used by God to save those searching for hope and healing.

For several weeks, Christians and nonbelievers have come to the area to praise, worship, and profess their faith in Christ.

During a Facebook interview, Bethel Music's Sean Feucht and Pastor Joshua Giles talked about the movement of God that continues in Minneapolis as people are giving their hearts to the Lord.

The church that did not close its doors during quarantine Source: www.evangelicalfocus.com

At the epicenter of the Covid19 crisis in Italy, an evangelical church opened its building to the community, transforming it into a shelter for the homeless.

Right in the city of Lodi, the ADI (Italian Assemblies of God) church of pastor Gennaro Chiocca, decided not to close its doors but rather to open them to the community, transforming its building into a reception center for homeless people, for whom the “stay at home” order made no sense.

They then started Beth Campo, a project that gave new use to the church building: the main hall became a bedroom. One of the Sunday school classrooms became a medical office, and a dining room, while two booths with showers were installed in the courtyard.

This was the place where a group of men, mostly migrants, found shelter, loving treatment and everything necessary to quarantine in a safe environment. Some of them also found Jesus.

In the middle of a tragic event, hope and life have been put back into the area. God is getting the glory as souls are being saved on the streets by divine redemption.

"Right now, what we're beginning to see is God moving in the world and sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. I believe that's what is happening right now," Giles concluded.

Palestinians Riot Over Jews Praying At Joseph’s Tomb source: worldisraelnews.com

Some 2500 worshipers visited the holy site overnight near in the city of Nablus to “pray for the success of sovereignty.”

The Joseph’s Tomb Administration said more than 2,500 Jews attended prayers at the site revered as the burial place of the biblical figure, located in the Arab-populated city of Shechem. Entry into the city is coordinated between the IDF and Palestinian security with prayers generally taking place only during the night and under heavy security provided by the Israeli Defense Forces.

“We are here tonight, praying for the success of sovereignty, strengthening the prime minister, not deterring and not being afraid, applying sovereignty to all Jewish communities and areas in Judea and Samaria” said Yossi Dagan, head of Samaria Regional Council.

We are here to deliver a clear message: The State of Israel will not give up the holy places, will not give up the Tomb of Joseph, Rachel’s Tomb, the Cave of the Patriarchs and other holy places in Judea and Samaria,” Dagan said. “History will not forgive those who abandon the holy places at this time.”

Prophecy: The Holy Spirit Is Brooding Over Argentina Source: www..charismanews.com

he Holy Spirit is brooding over Argentina. That's what He told me as I was driving to my church, Awakening House of Prayer, in South Florida.

Source: www.worthynews.com

The Attack On Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s Views On Israel – Statement From ICEJ SA Source: www.icej.org.za

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, South African Branch (ICEJ) represents Christians who support Israel, across political parties, including the ANC, and take strong exception to the recent statements

by ANC spokesperson, Pule Mabe, and other organisations in attacking Judge Mogoeng Mogoeng, due to his personal view that he holds about Israel as a Christian citizen of South Africa.

On 23 June 2020, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng aired his personal and religious views regarding Israel, in an online interview, alongside Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein. The discussion was hosted by the Jerusalem Post Editor-In-Chief Yaakov Katz.

The Chief Justice spoke about the toxicity of hatred, and the importance of overcoming it to make progress. He provided personal testimony of his hatred towards his white compatriots which was overcome by living out the principles of his Christian faith.

He was also influenced by a book, written by a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust which confirmed that forgiveness, as a way of life, empowers you from being held captive. The Chief Justice said it was this “principal and his integrity to have love for all” which enables him to make objective and just decisions.

God’s Word is clear as to His response towards those who either bless or curse His people (the descendants of Abram – Gen 12v3). Two different words are used for the word translated as “curse”. We curse (Hebrew word “qalal”) Israel by hating, insulting, devaluing, minimising or even by just being dismissive about her.

This unfortunately describes the present ANC policy towards Israel.

God’s promised response to those who curse Israel in this way is to truly curse (“arar”) them. The meaning of this word “arar” is to be “cut off” from God’s blessing.

The outworking of this reality on families and nations has been well documented through the ages.

May we take action and pray that this will not be the case for our beloved nation.

But He didn't stop there. The Lord showed me He wants to revisit Argentina with revival. He told me He's just waiting for the intercessors in Argentina to pull the revival down from heaven to earth. The outpouring the Holy Spirit has in mind is greater than the Argentine revival of the past decades.

I heard the Lord say, "I will pour out My Spirit in response to the hungry ones, the remnant intercessors who are not satisfied with yesterday's glory or yesterday's miracles. I will respond to the cries of the intercessors who understand that Argentina's latter shall be greater than her past. I will help them pray and push and break through to a signs and wonders revival that brings many souls into My kingdom."

Deliverance ministry was a key marker of the revival. Miracles, signs and wonders were also part and parcel of the outpouring.

Intercessors prayed continually throughout the campaigns. It's been my experience that when intercessors stop praying, the transformation fizzles. It's time for the intercessors in Argentina to go back to the prayer closet for another push.

ROTUBIRTNOC

@MARLYN ROJAS Ordained Minister, founder of Radiant Woman International, cofounder of Sisters International, CEO of Inner Radiance Designs and Author of DISTORTED.

WHY FORGIVE?

As I love to say: I will be short, brief, concise, precise, and to the point. I will also try to keep it simple.

IF YOU DON'T DO IT, YOU ARE IN BONDAGE. IF YOU DON'T PRACTICE IT, YOU ARE DELAYING YOUR OWN GROWTH. IF YOU DON'T START FORGIVING OTHERS AND YOURSELF, YOU DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF TRULY LIVING IN FREEDOM. IF YOU DON'T GIVE IT FREELY, WHY SHOULD IT BE EXTENDED TO YOU? Let me paint a quick picture for you: Have you come across any situation in your life where someone "did you wrong" and you've held a feeling of resentment against them, and others told you things along the lines of "You are mad, yet they are living their good life, like nothing ever happened"

Allow me to share with you, that is exactly what happens internally. We are Spiritual beings so everything affects us in our SOUL (mind, will, and-emotions) and in our human spirit; which should be guided and intertwined with the Holy Spirit, once you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. In the same manner, there are people that maybe, you have held a grudge or resentment against and they haven't yet accepted the LORD, which by default their spirit is dead. Why? because their spirit is not living in the fullness of having the Lord in their hearts.

You that may know Christ, may be holding this grudge against someone "who doesn't even feel the difference of being alive or dead spiritually" or of knowing what's right or wrong in certain situations, therefore, the only one being hurt by the situation is YOU. And I ask: "WHO's GOING TO BE THE BIGGER PERSON?"

In their "deadness" they don't know how to go and practice forgiveness, on the other hand, US, that may have known the gospel must practice this KINGDOM PRINCIPLE, but they are not yet brought into that awareness of FORGIVENESS just yet- but YOU can be the beginning of that internal transformation by giving the first step. FORGIVE. Let me go a little further: CHOOSE TO ALWAYS BE FIRST TO FORGIVE AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. Yes, even when you didn't do the wrong.

ROTUBIRTNOC

"The fact that you choose to forgive first, or ask for forgiveness, it breaks a demonic force of division that is currently existing ; hence, the lack of forgiveness."

The Bible says that a sweet answer, may turn wrath away (Proverbs 15:1) . The fact that you choose to forgive first, or ask for forgiveness, it breaks a demonic force of division that is currently existing ; hence, the lack of forgiveness.

The enemy is always out to steal, to kill, and to destroy, and he loves to start with any sort of division. Lack of forgiveness, plain and simple, is an OPEN DOOR FOR DIVISION. And a house cannot stand while being divided.

You may be someone who doesn't know Christ, but can step out of denial and self-examine yourself and see that you are carrying dead weight maybe for months or even years just because you have chosen NOT TO FORGIVE. It’s not easy, but it's absolutely doable. When you make the decision to forgive, even if they did you wrong, you are now set free, and YES, this means your soul is free- it breathes again- why? because you are taking back the control of not letting any animosity, any negative feeling to control your life. The power to overcome all evil, it's truly LOVE.

When you forgive you are choosing to put on LOVE above all things. If we all put on Love a little bit more often, we would be walking more united and more free.

I once read, "forgiveness is not an emotion, it's a secret decision of the heart."

WITH LOVE HONORED TO SERVE, MARLYN ROJAS,

BY GRACE ORDAINED MINISTER AT THESSALONICA CHURCH, UNDER THE SPIRITUAL COVERING, OF REV. DAVID SERRANO.

ROTUBIRTNOC

FROM THE APOSTLE'S DESK Should I go back to church, DURIING OR POST COVID-19? PART 1 In the wonderful name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I, under normal circumstances would or could have not written this.

Quickened by the Power of the Holy Spirit, who gives us messages through dreams, visions, quickening, prophesies, the Word of God, Leadings, check in your Spirit, inner knowing, revealed this to me.

Romans 9:1 NIV “I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 8:26-27 NIV says “In the same way, the Spirit himself helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God”, As long as I remember, I have always been a dreamer. This dream, prompted me to jot down this message.

Apostle Fumane Esther Seobi Mahlatsi I was born in the Priesthood Family. I Am the 4th Generation of active 5 fold Ministers.

A teacher by profession with Honours In Psychology Degree and a business woman.

A wife for 30 years, an author of Manna Daily Devotions book, a mother of four, and a founder and an overseer of Seobi Ministries International in Vereeniging...

I believe that that's my gift and the manner in which my creator communicates with me. Always revealing deep things to me and giving me messages to say and pray for; thus helping me and others in our different journeys and or paths.

BACKGROUND MESSAGE: Our country as well as the entire world has been sent to exile under the oppression and the influence of this pandemic, Covid-19. Our President, Cyril M Ramaphosa proclaimed the REOPENING OF CHURCHES, during level 3 of the LOCKDOWN period, commencing on the 1st June 2020.

The news was well received, within the clergy circle and various religious communities. There were also a lot of mixed feelings and uncertainty from the society at large, in relation to the matters to be taken in curbing the spread of the virus within the church. I believe that the church must put into practice, policies that abide by the rules and regulations of Covid-19, to ease people’s conscience as they attend various services withing the church and in doing so, also curbing the spread of the disease itself.

There is a lot of talk also against the reopening of churches. These, I believe are fact and fear led versus faith opinions based on statistical analysis and evidence of increasing numbers of infections and deaths related to Covid19 cases. These has brought about the fear and anticipation of more infections and eventually more deaths, as people gather in churches. This, as assumed; will also be aggravated by the oncoming winter season.

IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS, I HAD A DREAM When I woke up, early morning of 31 May 2020 I couldn't remember the entire dream. However, what seated strongly in my Spirit; the essence of the dream, was to not stand against the re-opening of churches, to be pro the re-opening of churches. I strongly believe the voice of my Lord and Master Jesus Christ of Nazareth with regard to the entire message. Well, Christians ought to live by Faith and not by sight.

Romans 10:17 NIV, says “Consequently faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through Word about Christ” Whilst fear comes by hearing the word from the enemy of the Word of God. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of Power, Love, and self-discipline” KJV says “sound mind.”

A lot of thoughts ran through my mind. In the midst of covid-19 still roaming about looking for whom to devour. I receive a message for the 'IMMEDIATE re-opening of church' message. (I personally thought that I would receive this message maybe post covid-19). This dream sealed our President’s announcement and eroded all fear and doubt that had deeply rooted in my Spirit. Hebrew 13:17 NIV says “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give account.

Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”

Isaiah 55; 8-9 teaches us that, the thoughts of our Lord are not ours, His ways not ours, His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. Who can fathom them.

"Our cleverness is foolishness in His sight. He knows what is done in secret, reveals and proclaims it publicly.

Nothing is ever hidden from His eyes, everything is laid bare"

I am only human and the fearful news of COVID-19 noise: the lockdown, social distancing, the curbing or the spreading of this disease, all rules and regulations surrounding it, might have dented, diminished and influenced my mind and standpoint and caused wavering in my Spirit and Faith. I know that I could not assume the Pulpit and the works of my Lord with a wavering Faith and a troubled Spirit, mind and body.

I usually say this, “Fear is absence of Faith, Keep the Faith, Speak the Word and Eliminate fear and doubt” Fear, doubt and questioning are number one tools the devil uses to destabilize, unsettle and attack us in our various life journeys. Take this scenario for example: After a powerful and prophetic sermon preached by your Pastor at church, that speaks deep things of your life and convicts you to change your ways in the process.

As you go home, you start digesting and discussing the sermon. The devil hears this and throws unto you arrows of doubt and questioning the quality and validity of the Word preached. No doubt about this; the devil knows the Word, he can even use the same Word to rubber-stamp his counter acts, (he still uses the same tactics he used against Jesus whilst in the wilderness).

Lucifer knows the transforming, delivering and healing power of the Word of God, especially as you listen, practice it and put it in action and he will try by all means to deter you from putting the Word in action. Dr Luke said in Luke 11:28 NLT “Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice”.

These are the long time, standing, tried and tested rule of thumb schemes the devil uses in swaying us from the Word and blocks us from applying it in our lives. As he successfully ministers this to us, it enables him to continue to wreak havoc as we make life decisions that are full of fear, doubt, not based and rooted on the Word of God. The Bible teaches us this, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do” James 1:6-8 NIV. Come to think of it, who can trust a double minded and unstable person. God didn’t give us the Spirit of fear. We must know, have fear of the Lord our God and revere His ways. “But don’t just listen to God’s Word.

You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free and if you DO what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for DOING it, James 1: 22-25. Wow! we all want God’s blessings isn’t? well, a secret revealed; let us put His Word in action, we shall be blessed and see all good days. The Word of God is active and alive and it doesn’t come back null and void. It accomplishes that which is sent out to do. Jeremiah 1:12, NIV says, “The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’

TO BE CONTINNUED IN NEXT ISSUE......

Shalom, Apostle Fumane Esther Seobi Mahlatsi

monthly devotions Karabo Lekwape, is the daughter of the Most High.

Who believes that without God you are nothing. She completed her Degree in BCom Accounting and is currently studying Post Grad in Financial Accounting.

Throughout her journey of life, she saw Gods amazing works and would advise that people ensure that they are running their race with God.. Pure Grace..

Introducing to you, monthly devotions by : KARABO karabo.lekwape

FINDING YOUR REST “And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ~ Matthew 18:20

Now beloved, introspect your life, check if you have where you can lay your head. If not, accept Jesus into your heart, for He is the greatest source of strength and a safest place where we can find endless rest.

When Jesus said these words, it was out of complete love as he cares for you and me.

He knew that many of us are finding rest in worldly things which give to temporal pleasure and resulting in us losing our souls. When he asked the crowd to cross over to the other side, He was completely availing himself to be the Life we need, where we find rest in good and bad times, a personal Saviour in our lives.

DID I LOSE MY JOB IF GOD LOVES ME?

written by: Rick Pritikin, extracted from:www. my.bible.com

THIS IS FOR MY GOOD? “It just can’t get any worse.”

How many times have you caught yourself saying this during your career transition?

For me, it has been more times than I care to admit. And if I’m completely candid, my very next line is usually, “How much more, Lord? How much longer must I wait for a breakthrough?”

Psalms 18:6 KJV 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

While I’m not exactly a trivia junkie, I’ve always been intrigued by odd facts and bits of information. For example, if I were to ask you which of the more than 31,000 verses in the Bible is the most popular, what would you guess? I’ll give you a hint: It’s the verse you often see on placards at football games. That’s right — John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

I have a hunch. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were to say to me, “Rick, one of the problems I struggle with is an inability to enjoy what is happening right now. For some reason I am always looking ahead and just don’t get the joy of the now.”

Sound familiar?

" God is working behind the scenes in all things for our good, that insight should set us free to praise him in all things''

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WHY

Unlike their worrywart father, my girls were excited. They asked questions about where we were going and what we would be doing while preparing for a terrific family time. I confess I was absent emotionally from sharing in their joy and in their anticipation and discussions because I was too hung up on the details of planning the next step.

To make matters worse, when we arrived at our destination I started worrying about making sure we got the luggage and the right transportation to the hotel.

When we arrived at the hotel, I was planning the trip to the pool while unpacking the luggage, and wondering who should get a key to the room..

When we got to the pool, I was planning the order for showers afterwards and where we would have dinner.

When we got to the restaurant, I was planning how to get back to the hotel or how late I should let the girls stay up. You get the idea.

It was only after an event that I realized that I really didn’t remember much about it. Even today my girls will say, “Dad, remember when we were in California and such and such happened?” I would have absolutely no recollection of the event at all. I was too busy worrying about or planning the next step, instead of enjoying the moment. Today I think of all the joy I have missed that can never be replaced. replaced.

He is on Your Side You might want to take a moment and read Romans 8:30-32 again. As you reread those three verses, ponder these questions: What did God give up for you, and what else is promised to you?

If we are open to the Holy Spirit, every time we read God’s Word we very well could receive new insights.

Does this Scripture make you feel like you could do anything with God in your corner? When I considered these verses recently, the words just made me feel like an eagle — empowered to soar above it all.

Here is where I believe the message gets a bit difficult to understand for those who are without work, without the daily purpose that comes with a job and the means to provide. In fact, I imagine these verses at times seem to offer a mixed message from the Lord. You may be wondering, If I am so important to God, why am I going through such a long drought, such a tough journey? If he really loves me, why am I hitting a brick wall on each interview and seemingly on each path I undertake? Why do I feel like I’m alone in all of this if God is by my side? Why does it seem like every move I make is a mistake? When will it all end?!

I get that. On one hand, the apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:32 that the Lord will “give us all things.” And that seems to cover the need for a job, right? But here’s the twist. The Lord knows you and me better than we know ourselves. On the surface we may believe that getting a job is our most pressing need. Yet the Lord may be using this season of transition to weed out the pride, arrogance, self- reliance or other emotional or spiritual deficiencies that a career easily masks. In that respect, he is giving us a true gift — one that will serve us well in the days ahead.

We can truly trust the Lord because he didn't spare his own son. He assures us that he is in control, he will always provide what is best for us,

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I resonate with that sentiment. Here is a perfect example. Prior to my transition journey, I would take my two younger daughters on vacation. We always planned a fun getaway to a very nice destination. In the weeks and days leading up to the vacation, however, I was planning and worrying about how we would get to the airport, when we would have to leave, how we would keep track of the luggage, etc. On the way to the airport I would wonder if I had forgotten to lock the back door at home.

If God is working behind the scenes in all things for our good, that insight should set us free to praise him in all things — including when an interview goes poorly, when a job offer doesn’t come through or when the funds are getting so low that we have to make another withdrawal from our retirement account. In all things we will trust that God is on our side — for he loved us enough to sacrifice his only Son.

Here’s the connection to your transition journey. If you allow anxiety to drive your thoughts, all the blessings you have received will be lost in the worrying about where the next month’s rent will come from or how you will manage to put gas in your car. My friend, whether you go on a vacation or, due to a lack of funds, you have a “staycation,” those family memories cannot be relived.

They will be gone if you let them. The joy that could have been and should have been will be lost.

What about your journey?

Are you focused on tomorrow, next week or next month? Are you planning for the “What ifs” instead of focusing on the right now?

First Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our anxiety on the Lord. What does that do? It takes the pressure off us and places it on his able shoulders. After all, the prophet Isaiah assures us that God “will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6).

Isn’t that great news? The Lord will carry our burden for us, and he provides from his storehouse of wisdom what we need to know to get through this min- ute. If you are traveling on this career journey worrying about tomorrow, isn’t it time to stop and smell the roses?

Take some time and look for the blessings you are receiving, the friendships you are making and the answers to prayers you are receiving.

Remember, our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally and wants the very best for us. How can we possibly know how wonderful a life he is providing if we don’t start living in and enjoying this moment?

Lessons from my GPS

A headline in the April 23, 2012 edition of The Atlantic recently grabbed my attention: 53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed — How? Think about how alarming that statistic really is — more than half of all college students are graduating only to find there isn’t a job in their chosen field waiting for them. After four years of study, many have to set aside their plans to pursue their dreams, settling instead for flipping hamburgers, selling coffee or sweeping floors.

There’s nothing wrong with those tasks. In fact, I believe much can be learned by engaging in manual labor.

Whether you’re reading this as one of those “underemployed” recent college grads or you’re a seasoned professional who has been forced to deliver pizza or stock supermarket shelves, I’m here to tell you that the path you’re on is part of God’s plan for your life. Let me illustrate with a personal example.

When I lost my job as a “bigtime” executive, I had to humble myself and take whatever I could find to do just to keep some income coming in. That included freelancing as a locksmith for a very gracious brother from church.

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and he may be using this season of transition for our ultimate good. That’s what Romans 8:28 says: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I recall thinking about the many times I passed by the same landmarks. I wondered why that person or this person couldn’t have locked themselves out just 40 minutes earlier when I was in their area! I began to retrace my routes in my mind and realized what a maze of turns and curves and overlaps had occurred through- out my travels. It was a MapQuest nightmare!

When I read the words in Proverbs 3:6 about how the Lord “will make your paths straight," I was reminded of the haphazard route I had to take while working as a locksmith on that crazy, busy day — which, in turn, prompted me to think about my career path. Specifically, I reflected on how often I have worked at a job in which I had no idea how that role would fit into my future. As I reviewed my experiences in light of this verse, I realized that my assortment of jobs was not a maze of uncharted destinations. In fact, every bit of experience I have accumulated, in many different fields, I am using today. I have to believe that every job you have had has helped to mold you too.

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My task typically consisted of assisting people who had locked themselves out of their car. One particularly busy day I was on a roll with 14 calls in a 12-hour period.

Those calls had me zigzagging from one end of the county to the other to rescue stranded drivers.

Jesus didn’t immediately respond to their request, and the end result revealed that he was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.

Although we still want to ask when this part of the journey will be over, and we still long to know where we will end up with our career, we can rest assured that God has a perfect plan for us. He will make your paths straight if you trust in him rather than in yourself. Why not take some time right now and look back over your road map? Isn’t it amazing how the Lord has worked, in all things, for your good? If you don’t see the straight road just yet, don’t worry. With his guidance, you will see how the road behind is part of the road ahead.

Here’s the connection to those of us on a transition journey. When we’re out of work we continuously ask God to answer our prayer for a new career opportunity.

Like King David of Biblical times, we cry out, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint . . . My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?” (Psalm 6:2 – 3). We wonder how long it will be before we get a job — primarily because we assume that a new job is the only possible answer to our prayer.

Silence is an Answer Have you ever wondered why Jesus, when he heard that his dear friend Lazarus was seriously ill, waited two days before going to be with him?

Though Jesus’ delay seemed inexplicable — at least from the point of view of Lazarus’s sisters, who requested his presence — he would be “glorified” because of it.

In other words, “silence” was the answer he gave. Yes, the answer. That silence turned into an amazing demonstration of deliverance from a situation that Mary, Martha and their neighbors had never known was possible — the resurrection of a person who had died.

What’s more, we believe anything short of getting a job means that the Lord is ignoring our prayer. We are tempted to believe that he has forsaken us if our prayer isn’t answered with a new job. Doesn’t God realize that I am afraid? That I need money? That I need selfesteem? That I need to rebuild my sense of selfworth?

Actually, God realizes much more than that. He is well aware of our needs, yet his desire is for us to grow closer to him, to trust in him, to experience the marvelous feeling of contentment that comes from a closer walk with him. The fact that Jesus didn’t drop everything and rush to Mary and Martha’s aid demonstrates that God doesn’t operate on our schedule. Clearly we are to operate on his schedule. That new job will come through on the exact day and at the exact moment he has planned it for us — and not one minute of worrying will change this.

We can make any bargains we wish with God, we can promise to be all he would want us to be — when we get that new job. But the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that once we get that new job, we will revert to work-schedule mode and he will take the backseat again — that is, until we need him again.

Granted, we might be afraid; we might be unsure of ourselves and our abilities. We might feel rejected, overlooked and embarrassed, having heard nothing but silence from the Lord in answer to our prayers. If that’s you, I encourage you to take this time to know that he is God (see Psalm 46:10; 100:3). Silence is some- times his answer. Why? Because he wants us to spend more time working on our relationship with him.

Praise him for the opportunity to grow closer to him. . Bask in the glory of his silence. Just lean back and feel his presence. It is peace

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You and I are a MapQuest trip “in process.” If you look closely, you can see how the Lord has mapped out your life and how seemingly unrelated job experiences really do fit together to formulate the Lord’s plan for you. The experiences of your life and career actually do make sense — you just might not see the big picture at the moment. Unfortunately, that’s because you and I are not privy to the directions beyond this very minute.

EXCLUSIVE

THE VAN DER WESTHUIZENS South African's young , married and anointed youth leaders Nicky & Tyneal Van Der Westhuizen.

With the grace to lead the youth and young adults following the mandate of Luke 4 v 18 which has guided them in leading a generation of remnants that are on fire for Jesus and purpose driven.

Q. Who is Jesus Christ to

I remember that the sky was

you?

clear as can be with beautiful

A. The one and only Jesus

stars and my dad led me to say

Christ.

the sinner’s prayer that night.

Q. How and when did you

Tyneal- I got truly saved at the

get Born Again?

end of 2014 in my home

A. Nicky– I was born

church, NBCFC. Before that I

again at the age of 13 at a

was just another lukewarm

holiday resort when my

Christian.

dad talked to me about Jesus. @beautyandthegospel

EXCLUSIVE

Q. Things you wish you were told

A. Yes, because young people

Q. You are an active youth that

about your walk with Jesus

really follow leaders they can

goes out preaching the Good

Christ?

relate to. We are leading young

News. At the top of your mind,

A. To truly surrender our life into

people through storms we

share with us a testimony

God’s hands and not allow our

ourselves face sometimes,

that occurred from this ministry?

flesh to take over by taking things

therefore we can also relate to

A. We as a youth went

into your own hands.

them. We do think it is important

evangelising in an area that is in

to have more mature people

deep spiritual bondage and two

Q. You are the youth leaders of

around for their wisdom and

intoxicated men approached us

young adults and students known

experience when we do not have

asking us if we were selling

as the 418 generation.

answers.

drugs, we took the opportunity to

Firstly, we are captured by your

preach the gospel to them and

age. Being young and married

Q. What have you learned about

they both got saved, sober and

youth leaders, has your

yourselves and the Lord in youth

started serving in our church.

leadership “style, attitude and

ministry?

focus” changed since marriage?

A. You can’t do this in your own

Q. What is the REMNANT and

A. Our leadership styles have not

strength, you need His grace. We

how can one become one?

changed however we have both

don’t own the people, these

A. The remnant are the

matured and definitely have a lot

people are Gods we are just

remainders, survivors of a

more compassion for young

stewards.

catastrophe and the ones who

married couples.

remained faithful to God when Q. What’s that common

the world turned their backs on

Q. Your youth ministry is called

challenge you’ve noticed with the

Him.

418 generation. Elaborate this for

church youth and the ones

us?

outside the church?

A. This was revealed to me

A. We are dealing with a

(Nicky) by God when I was still

Fatherless generation; church

serving our previous youth

goer or not. Young people

leader. I was reading the Word

are seeking affirmation from the

your own strength,

one night and the Holy Spirit took

world and not God.

you need His grace.

me to Luke 4:18 and told me that

"You can’t do this in

would be the mandate of our

Q. How important is it for the

We don’t own the

youth ministry. To live that

youth to support their leaders?

scripture as a youth and young

A. It is very important. Even

people, these people

adult ministry.

though we do this for God, having the youth behind us is very

Q. Would you say that it’s

helpful.

are Gods we are just stewards. "

essential for the youth to be led by young leaders?

@beautyandthegospel

418 Generation

EXCLUSIVE

Q. Can leadership be taught or

Q. Nicky you are a joker! Where

it’s a gift?

do you get all these jokes?

A. It can be both. Leadership

A. Wikipedia.

comes naturally to some but others can definitely be

Q. Tyneal, growing up did youth

trained and developed in their

leadership ever cross your mind?

leadership skills.

A. No, it did not. I never thought that God would call me to

Q. Biggest challenge and reward

something so great. Accepting

with youth leadership?

the call is the best decision I’ve

A. Our biggest challenge is

made.

keeping young people hungry for Jesus in this generation of being

Q. 5 top tips to youth leaders?

wrongly influenced. Our biggest

Don’t be overeager and start

reward is witnessing a young

youth ministry prematurely.

person remaining on fire for God

Don’t choose friends as

and stepping into their destiny

leadership.

because it is so rare in this

Have patience with the

generation.

process.

Allow God to be in control.

Q. Would you say this is

Hype doesn’t build a

preparation for the future plans

ministry.

that God has intended for you?

A. 100%. Everything we do in our

Q. Have you ever felt inadequate

lives shapes us for our destiny.

in serving the Lord, if so, how did you overcome?

A. Yes, many times. We overcome it by turning to God and our spiritual father for help and guidance.

Q. Nicky, you have a Spiritual father who happens to be your natural father also (Apostle Nicky). How has his guidance, commitment and relationship with King Jesus impacted your

@njwest_the3rd

@beautyandthegospel

life?

@tyneal_west

EXCLUSIVE

A. Through his revelation and

Q. Define this verse to us: “And if

A. Don’t quench the Holy Spirit.

wisdom from God he has

you do not carry your own cross

We are the bride and He is the

impacted me in every area of my

and follow me, you cannot be my

bridegroom. He will look for oil

life; leadership, finances,

disciple” Luke 14:27

when He returns, remain filled

relationships, my walk with God,

A. We’re still figuring this out …

with fresh oil.

Q. If Jesus were to visit you for

Q. When people hear the names

Q. Your prayer regarding the 418

one day, what would you say to

Nicky and Tyneal. What do you

youth and worldwide?

Him and how would you spend

want them to know?

A. Our prayer is that the

the rest of the day with

A. Godly couple. Inspirations to

scripture Luke 4:18 will be

Him?

their generation. They are

manifested in their lives and that

A. I think we would be speechless

passionate about the youth. They

our generation will not make the

in His presence first of all and

LOVE Jesus.

same mistakes as our

then really just want to worship

predecessors

Him. We would just sit with Him

Q. How can people get in touch

the whole day and ask Him any

with you and your ministry?

Q. Advice to those who are

question that can come to our

A. You can follow us on

having a Jeremiah 1:6 moment,

mind in the moment.

Facebook, Instagram and

etc.

feeling they are too young to

YouTube @NBCFC (New

serve the Lord?

Q. There is POWER IN THE

Beginnings Christian Family

A. The younger you are to do

NAME of Jesus Christ, share this

Church) and LKE418 on

something the better. You will

with someone who doesn’t seem

Instagram @4ourone8.

have more time with God in your

to grasp that exactly?

life and this can push you ahead

A. It’s like saying to a company

You can also visit

of everyone else. This will also

that you have a special message

our website on nbcfc.co.za.

allow you to do more for

in the name of Her Majesty, The

God.

Queen of England. Whatever you

Q. Last words and plans for

are about to say carries more

2020?

Q. How can we walk in holiness

weight than your own name and

A. Well our plans

and purity in this per versed

because of His authority

have been rudely disrupted by

world?

whatever is declared in His name

covid-19. Lol. And our last few

A. If you don’t continuously fill

HAS to be done.

words are:

yourself up with God and the

things of God you will become

Q. What message do you have to

God is the answer to

preoccupied with something else

the Church, regarding the end

everything. As long as we remain

that can lead to sin.

times and especially THE

in Him we will have the answers

IMMINENT RETURN OF KING

for anything

JESUS?

that life may throw at us.

@beautyandthegospel

EXCLUSIVE

BY THE WAY..

1. You’re never too young to...... dream big.

2. Current favourite song and minister? The Blessing and Jentezen Franklin.

3 . What people don’t know is that I....Have a make-up obsession.

4. When I remember what the Lord has done I will never........stop being thankful 5. Best advice ever received?

Make peace with your process.

BY THE WAY..

1. Can’t live without.... COFFEE 2. What people don’t know is that I.. play a lot of PlayStation.

3 . Favourite Hero of Faith?

Evangelist Reinhard Bonke?

4. Daily mantra?

Currently under construction?

5. You’re never too young to...... learn 6. I will retire the day..... I die !

@beautyandthegospel

ROTUBIRTNOC

TO WALK IN PURPOSE YOU MUST AGREE WITH

G O D God does not make mistakes. He knows exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it. For many of us it may not seem like it when we are going through the fire but believe me God has a plan because it is in His word. He reminds us, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV).

@monicatheophilus founder @amomentwithmonica, minister, prayer warrior , writer and contributor at beauty&thegosoel magazine .

What discourages us from believing that God has a plan and purpose for our lives is when we walk by sight and not by faith and when we attempt to understand the move of God with our natural eyes and our human intellect. Faith is required to walk into our God given purpose because when we have faith in God, we are saying to Him, ‘Lord I agree with who you say you are ( provider, healer, comforter, strong tower, defender etc.) despite what storm I face or my fluctuating emotions you ARE sovereign over my situation’. It is when we agree with God that we give Him permission to fight on our behalf especially from the things we cannot see happening in the realm of the spirit. Such as demonic forces and launches from the enemy who desires for us to forfeit the calling on our lives.

@beautyandthegospel

ROTUBIRTNOC

The Bible tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV).

If we displease God by lacking faith, He won’t be able to manifest His miracles the way we need Him to. As a result, we stifle the blessings that were on their way and allow defeat to creep in. A glance at the word of God in Matthew 13:58 demonstrates Jesus not being able to perform any miracles, signs and wonders in His hometown since the people did not believe in Him or God’s promises. We have to be on the lookout to ensure we are not walking around with the spirit of unbelief.

Here are a few reasons why we may not be able to walk in purpose: 1. We Want to be In Control of Our Lives - Luke 22:42 Jesus said, “ Nevertheless thy will be done” He knew the bitter cup was to die on the cross for our sins and the pain He would have to endure, yet he did it because it was His God given purpose on earth.

So He pleased God by having faith and trust in God’s will for His life.

Therefore, we can’t manipulate God to doing things our way because it will only lead to a life of bitterness and frustration.

2. We Want To Please The WorldGalatians 1:10 Jesus healed the sick, fed the poor and needy, prayed over God’s people and loved selflessly however, He was still rejected and crucified. Not everyone is going to like us or agree with us, still we can’t live to please men because we will end up displeasing God. 3. We Don’t Trust God- John 10:27-28 When we don’t trust in God, we will hesitate to follow His instructions because we will question His voice.

Purpose living requires us to trust God wholeheartedly so that we can move at the right time and in the right season.

4. The Viper Tongue- Ephesians 4:29 A viper tongue is a poisonous tongue that releases words of gossip, slander, negativity, bitterness and unbelief. It is toxic to purpose because it speaks against hope and faith in God.

@beautyandthegospel

ROTUBIRTNOC

We must always be aware of the words we allow out of our mouth because it can either curse us or bless us.

Take the time today to sit with God and agree with everything He has spoken over you, write it down if you have to and I guarantee if you truly believe youwill find strength to press forward in your purpose because His word says, “ Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you” Job 22:21 (ESV).

will find strength to press forward in your purpose because His word says, “ Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you” Job 22:21 (ESV).

Love Monica, Be Encouraged.

@beautyandthegospel

IT WAS THE HAND

OF GOD

WRITTEN BY: RHONDA MCTYRE

I’ve learned in life you have to follow your dreams and heart.

After hearing his confirmation I decided to follow my heart.

I decided to pursue my modeling career to make a difference for many women around the world. About a year and half ago I was sitting in my bedroom talking to God and asked him to guide me in his direction not mine. I was tired of waking up every day to multiple jobs and not enough money in my account to pay the rest of my rent or car note. I said “ God if I let the retail job go and focus on one job while pursuing my passion will you help guide me in the rest of the way”.

Since then I’ve received 2 promotions, and various modeling campaigns like Eat.Pray.Hope.

Buttered Boss, Wi-Fi &A Dream etc.. And walked in 2 Fashion shows blazing the Runway with Carmela Smith and Bree Moore Productions Annual Fashion Show.

Of course he spoke back to me while I was sleep and said “Daughter I got you. As long as you put me first”.

My aspiration in life is to minister to young women that you can achieve your hearts desires while maintaining a saved life. Build a relationship in his footsteps and he’ll help guide you the rest of the way.

“DAUGHTER

I GOT YOU. AS LONG

AS YOU PUT ME FIRST”.

THE FRUITS BORN FROM TRAILS & TRIBULATIONS by: Pastor Tee

Romans 5:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT) 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Before Paul talks about trials and problems he says: “Rejoice”. When we look at this in the physical it doesn’t make sense. How can I rejoice when it all seems dark and like it will never end?

ENDURANCE CHARACTER CONFIDENT HOPE OF SALVATION

When we look at this in the spiritual, it makes sense because we get to see the purpose, rewards, harvest and reason why the trial and problem is occurring , why NOW and why ME. We must understand that when we encounter trials and tribulations as children of God, they are not to bury, destroy or kill us. By the grace of King Jesus they manifest 3 things according to Romans 5: 3-4 1. Help develop ENDURANCE 2. Develop strength of CHARACTER 3. Strengthen our CONFIDENT HOPE OF SALAVATION

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ENDURANCE According to the Oxford dictionary endurance means: “The ability to withstand prolonged strain”.

We learn very early that endurance is not a feeling or emotion. It consists of faith, deeds and patience. It doesn’t come easy as it must be developed and, in this case, it develops through trials and tribulations. Endurance happens to be part of the fruits of the Spirit, I say this because in order to properly function in the fruits of the Spirit, endurance must be present.

One of the Key elements of our faith is endurance. Look at the Cross, even before the Cross, well, the whole life of Master Jesus had endurance at play.

We are living in the end times (Matthew 24).

Looking at Matthew 24:13, it tells us who will make it (be saved) “But the one who endures to the end will be saved”. The book of Revelations speaks a lot about endurance. Look at how John in Revelations 1:9 introduces himself “I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us”.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (Peter writes: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trails for a little while”.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 17” For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.

Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” Endurance is not a collective thing. It cannot be bought. It’s a decision one makes through conviction and the HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. When one tries to endure alone, it can destroy.

STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

There is a difference in personality and character” Personality: Is HOW YOU ARE e.g. ( introvert or extrovert) Character :Is WHO YOU ARE

Just like the world, we have a tendency of wanting to change our personality because of those around us and what the world says is the correct personality. We shouldn’t look to the world’s standards and behaviors, Romans 12:2.

Often times we look at our personality and feel like God cannot use us because we are not eloquent speakers, loud and bold enough but let me tell you something: JESUS IS NOT INITERESTED IN PERSONALITY BUT CHARACTER. This calls for developing and strengthening. Let’s look at a very significant illustration of the same mistake that Prophet Samuel nearly made when it was time to anoint the next king after Saul. He looked at personality and not Character. But I love what Father God says in 1 Samuel 16v7: “but the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him.

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Let’s look at another illustration of personality and character at play through Moses and his brother Aaron (Exodus 32).

Moses had character and not much of personality. Aaron on the other hand had no character and much of personality. In the Kingdom of the Living God most times, if not all times, King Jesus works/refines character because it is character that will withstand the test of time Moses’s character was being developed and strengthened through trials as he was enduring the: complaints, ungratefulness, rebellion, authority of the Israelites and the wilderness etc … As he kept on enduring, his character was being strengthened.

Moses walked and talked with God face to face but not once do we see pride and arrogance. He would stand up for the Israelites even though they did not deserve it because of his character and fear for the Lord.

Aaron was a good speaker and most probably had an awesome personality but lacked character. There was a time Moses had spent 40 days & nights on the mountain with the Lord on behalf of the Jewish Nation. He got alerted by God that the Jewish people had sinned by creating a gold calf, a god to worship. What is most shocking as we read in Exodus 32 :1-5, is that Aaron:

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1. Didn’t defend Moses.

2. Didn’t rebuke the Israelites for rebelling against God by wanting to make gods and forgetting Him so quickly .

3. He listened to them to the point of giving instructions on the material needed to make the gods and made the god himself.

4. Being moved by the excitement of the Israelites to a point of building an altar and announcing a festival.

Aaron never allowed his character to be built

by God and the trials and tribulations that the nation went through even of those of his brother Moses. He was compelled by the jealousy he had for Moses instead of being a godly leader that fears God even when Moses would be gone. He forgot who he was and what he was ordained to do.

In Closure Remember beloved, even in trails and problems you too can rejoice because for we know that they help us develop endurance 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

You are loved by Him and I

your homegurl in Christ,

Pastor Tee

STRENGTHENS OR CONFIDENT HOPE OF SALVATION

It’s very essential that we are deep rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. In these end times there is so much deception therefore we must be confident in our hope of salvation. We should be able to know and believe that: Jesus said He’ll never leave nor forsake me He is coming to fetch me and is building my mansion Pain may occur in the night but joy comes in the morning All things are working for my good I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me No weapon formed against me shall prosper He who started a good work in me shall complete it I’m more than a conquer I will see the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want The plans of the Lord about my life are to prosper me, give me hope and a future He’s about to do something I will not believe when I hear about it It is no longer I who lives but Christ in me Jesus is making a way in the wilderness and stream in the desert God is not a man that He should lie

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ROTUBIRTNOC

STIGMA written by:

ANGUS & JILL BUCHAN

Jill and I found Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour on the 18th of February 1979, just two years after settling in Greytown, Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands, South Africa. Originally from Zambia, we bought a piece of land on which we planned to farm crops and livestock. We had very little to start with but even as brand new Christians, we were content with our farm, which we later called SHALOM. The Oxford Dictionary describes it this way: A mark of

I do not think it was so much the physical pain He

disgrace associated with a particular circumstance,

suffered, which must have been hellish, but rather it

quality, or person.

was the stigma of total rejection by His very own creation, that is what must have hurt him more than

No one understands this term better than our blessed

anything else. Even his very closest disciples deserted

Lord Jesus. We read in Isaiah 53:3:

Him when He needed them most. Matthew 26:56:

“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of

"Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled".

sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we

I have a renewed compassion and heart for prisoners

did not esteem Him.”

who have been released from jail after serving their sentence and then having to face up to life again, but

After five tests and self-isolation for sixty-seven days,

this time with a prison record. It must be extremely

my dear wife Jill and I have just received our results to

hard to try to integrate with society and be accepted

say that we are now negative for the Coronavirus -

and trusted again while carrying this deadly stigma

The miracle is that during the entire duration we

with them.

suffered no symptoms whatsoever! But through this ordeal, which multitudes of folk have suffered

God has shown me so many lessons through these

throughout the Globe, the worst thing we suffered

past two months. One of them is never to judge a

(which is no one’s fault) was the stigma attached to it.

book by its cover, another is not to 'throw stones at people' especially when you live in 'a glasshouse'.

YouNhave a psychological feeling of rejection, one like I have not encountered before in my spiritual walk

I always thought I had compassion for the so-called

with God. For the first time, I am starting to

‘down and outs’, or those who have 'fallen by the way'

understanding what Jesus must have felt during the

so to speak, but I have now a new -

time of His crucifixion. and fled."

understanding, and more than that, love and

O Master, please make us more like You. I pray, for

acceptance like I’ve never had before.

there are so many folks hurting in the World today who just desire a loving touch from You.

I’ve also grown so much closer to Jesus during this time. When everyone else distanced themselves from the leper, Jesus did the very opposite and drew closer, then went on to heal him. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:3.

Jesus Bless you, Angus and Jill Buchan.

@thesexlesstribe

FEATURED

WE TALKING , VIRGINITY, ABSTINENCE AND PURPOSE

Shakia SEABROOK 1. Who is Jesus Christ to you?

situations when the reader

Jesus Christ is my Savior. The

encounters them. Woven in between

reason that I had a chance at

each chapter is a testimony from

salvation and have access to God,

men & women highlighting their

my father.

abstinence journey.

2. Share with us on how and when

4. Did you ever imagine you’d be an

you got Born Again?

Author?

I rededicated my life to Christ in

I never imagined that I would be an

2012, in front of friends and family,

author. I am a creator at heart,

during my church’s summer

always looking for different ways to

baptism. It was during a time in my

create. When I first had the thought

life where I had been feeling the

to write a book I simply looked at it

pull to do so but wasn’t sure what

as a way for me to do just that,

life would look like after I

create. Living an abstinence

rededicated my life to Christ. I

lifestyle was the only thing I could

wasn’t sure if I would struggle, if I

write at length about. Having lived

would fall, if I would change. But I

this lifestyle my entire life, I could

knew the pull was there and I

share how I overcame trying

decided I would go with the pull

situations in hopes that it would

and I would face life after as it

help someone else when they

approached.

encountered those same situations.

3. You are the author of the book,

5. How important is it for us to

The Decision. Tell us more about

know our worth?

this book.

I believe the root of a lot of risky

The Decision is a conversational

and unhealthy behaviors is a lack or

style book inviting readers to travel

a low sense of self-worth. I truly

my journey as I recount some of my

believe that when one begins to

most disappointing,tempting

view themselves with great worth

and rewarding moments while

they begin to make wiser and

living the abstinence lifestyle. Each

healthier choices regarding their

chapter ends with tips on how to

lifestyle.

overcome those same difficult -

@thesexlesstribe

6. Your most recent venture has

FEATURED

8. Please share 5 Abstinence tips.

been creating The Sexless Tribe brand. What inspired this movement and what impact have you seen it do for others and yourself?

The Sexless Tribe started from a weekly Instagram live show called Sexless Situations where dozens of committed viewers would tune in faithfully. With each episode, the

Get to know your sexual triggers Have confidence in your why (you’re abstaining) Don’t underestimate temptation Avoid people, places and things that tempt you Set boundaries and stick to them

viewers who were once strangers began knowing each other by name,

9. You also have a clothing line

forming inside jokes & sharing

under the sexless tribe. What

how great it felt to converse with

inspires these T-shirts, and would

like minded people. Those dozens of

you say they are a way of preaching

people have grown to hundreds of

or declaration of some sort?

men and women from all around the

In 2019, I began getting dozens of

world. The Sexless Tribe is

messages weekly from people

providing hope to every person who

stating “I am so happy to find your

thinks they are alone on the

platform, I thought I was the only

abstinence journey.

one abstaining from sex.” I knew they weren’t the only one, but I

7. Elaborate the difference between

also realized that abstinence was

ABSTINENCE AND CELIBACY?

invisible. I knew I had to do

Abstinence is the act of refraining

something. So, I made a decision

from something you find pleasu-

that I would create a T-Shirt line to

rable. For example, abstaining from

help make abstinence visible. I

sex. Celibacy is said to be a

hoped that when tribe members

charism, a spiritual gift given by

were wearing their shirts someone

God in which a person makes a

else would see it and know that

vow to forfeit marriage and sexual

they are not alone on this journey.

intercourse in order to devote their life fully to God.

@thesexlesstribe

FEATURED

10. You boldly proclaim your

13. Girls often lose their virginity due to

virginity. Has that always been easy?

them feeling like “if they do, they will be

I wasn’t always so vocal about my

worthy and accepted by their

virginity, not because of shame or

boyfriends and friends”.

embarrassment, but because I didn’t

I would tell girls who want to lose their

think it was a big deal. However, my

virginity due to them feeling like they will

virginity has always been something

be worthy and accepted by their

that I have been confident in, so

boyfriends and friends that those are not

when I would share, it was done so

people you want in your life. You want

in a bold manner.

people who accept you and see your worth from knowing the essence of who you are

11. 32 years of virginity. That is

and all that you have to offer outside of

sooooo rare. How have you managed

sex.

to remain a virgin?

I have been able to remain a virgin

14. How important is one’s association?

by using wisdom preventing me from

I don’t think that hanging with sexually

engaging in tempting situations,

active people will cause you to have sex,

practicing self-discipline when in

but I do believe their behaviors and

certain situations, and God

conversations can weaken your confidence

intervening when I was exercising

in the decision you have made to abstain.

neither wisdom or self-discipline.

This can come about from them sharing how great their sex life is, how sex has

12. At what age did you make the

strengthened their relationship; and them

decision that you would be a virgin

assuring you that you are ”missing out” by

till marriage and was it based on a

not having sex. Those things may cause you

covenant with Master Jesus and the

to begin to question are you indeed

Word of God?

missing out? However, when you are

I decided to remain a virgin until

surrounded by people who are also

marriage at the age of 13; and it

committed to the abstinence lifestyle, it is

didn’t have anything to do with God,

more so an iron sharpening iron

at least not that I remember.

relationship. You hear stories of how

However, as I began to gain an

abstinence is benefiting their life, even

understanding as to why God gave

their relationships. Additionally, if

commands and guidelines regarding

you have a moment where you question are

sexuality, I realized that God wanted

you missing out, the like-minded people's

to protect me. That allowed me to

responses will be ones of exploration of

trust God’s will and God’s way

reassurance; not taken as a moment to

knowing it was for my best.

convince you to go and have sex.

@thesexlesstribe

FEATURED

15. What has being a virgin taught

17. The Body of Christ seems to not or

you about yourself?

never do have conversations about

Being a virgin has taught me that I

keeping oneself pure. What’s your

have traits that are good enough for

heart on this?

a guy to pursue me and have the

The body of Christ does not have

desire to build a future with simply

conversations around purity because

off of who I am as a person and

many have not surrendered to a

nothing regarding what my

lifestyle of purity. So because they are

body can do for him sexually.

not living a pure lifestyle they avoid the conversation to avoid conviction

exless ribe 16. Misconceptions about virginity that are just wrong?

The three biggest misconceptions about being a virgin are that if you’re a virgin you are living a lifestyle of purity, that it is easier for virgins to abstain from sex, and that virgins think they are better than those who are or have been sexually active.

and accountability.

18. The advice you can give youth leaders and parents on how to address this topic?

Be truthful. Do not tell them sex is bad.

Those youth have most likely seen, heard about, or even experienced sex already. Create a space of safety where they can ask questions and share what they have seen, have heard and even experienced. They know sex is good, and the truth is it is good. However, explain that God created sex to be confined to marriage to maximize the sexual experience and to minimize the harmful repercussions.

19. Words you’d love to tell Master Jesus regarding this journey?

There were many times my flesh was weak and wanted to give in to what felt natural sex, but me denying my flesh was a way of taking up my cross and following God's will for sexuality.

Thank you for being an example of what it looks like to take up your cross and follow what God’s will is.

@shakiaseabrook22 Shakia Seabrook22 Shakia Seabrook www.thesexlesstribe.com or www.shakiaseabrook.com

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TRUSTING

GOD

demolish every stronghold, in His name we declare null and void every plot of the enemy against us, He is our God, strong and mighty God… Jeremiah 17:7 says: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.” This is so wonderful, when you trust Him, He does not disappoint and on top of that He still blesses you. What a God! Put your hope in God today for He cares and will deliver you…

PASTOR NTSAKO BALOYI

a servant of God, husband to Tiyiselani Baloyi and home made chef

Scripture reading: 2 Chronicles 14:11 “And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” King Asa cried to God and said, it is nothing for you to help the weak against the strong, help us, we rest upon you, you are our God and in your name, we go out against these people.

This king understood that only in God we can get our help, for where powers meet, the lesser power must bow. We might have skills and knowledge of this world, but to prevail we need God and God alone.

The system may deny us, the laws may stand against us, the procedures may delay us, but our God,no man can prevail against him,no system can prevail against God,nothing at all can stop God. He's indeed our God, in His name we go out against the enemy, in His power we @beautyandthegospel

contributor

HEF MIL A HENDRI KS C

C

C

"AS IT’S SAID, YOU FIRST EAT WITH YOUR EYES BEFORE YOU TASTE WITH YOUR MOUTH".

PERSONAL LIFE Milca Hendricks is a wife and a mother, She is transformational Speaker, Relationship Coach and founder of Revelation Revolution Movement together with her Husband. She is a graduate in Management & ChildCare.

She is a believer and a woman of Faith. Together with her husband they serve as Pastors at Blessed Generation Church, in Pretoria.

WHY A CHEF?

My grand maternal mother was a Chef, and my mom is a cook, I inherited that passion for different types of cuisine and Art, that’s what pushed me to enrol for Culinary Studies.

After completing my Chef course at Steyns Culinary School , I was redirected to a 5 star Restaurant “The Black Bamboo” for my internship. I’m still currently working at The Black Bamboo restaurant.

My meals are a combination of art and well balanced diet with a touch of an unprecedented deliciousness.

FAVORITE SEASON & DISH ?

My favourite season is Sping. I love colours so much, and it’s an amazing thing to see colorful flowers, leaves and trees coming back to life and having sprung at this season. Spring is neither boiling nor freezing, it’s cool and that’s why I love it. I will recommend a fresh smoked fish-

dish for this season, with sherry tomatoes and some potatoes fondant, as well as green beans and green veggies sauce as a color of nature. I feel like this meal goes with the weather and the season as “Everything is beautiful in its season”

What inspired the dish you made?

(Beef Fillet) With the desire to offer healthy food, I wanted to create a meaty meal but yet health that can be rich in protein to boost the system in this cold weather.

What’s best than adding some roasted Vegetables to create a balanced and healthy meal.

@milca.hendricks

SERVE UP A GOOD BEEF FILLET & VEGE S Â

'

BEEF FILLET Marinated fillet, mixed fresh vegetables and potatoes.

Ingredients Fillet, Potatoes , Red pepper ,Yellow pepper, Baby zucchini , Carrots, Parsley, Sherry tomatoes.

Marinate liquid Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, olive oil, chilli, lemon juice, thyme Marinate your fillet one day before for more flavor, put the fillet and the marinate liquid in a plastic bag, close and leave in the fridge.

Cut your veggies, blanche them and keep them aside.

Warm the pan, Fry with a bit of oil just to give the fillet some color, then put it in the oven. As an entire fillet, it will take a bit longer to cook than a smaller portion.

Once almost ready, glaze your veggies, fry the sherry tomatoes with butter, then add salt and pepper.

CHEF'S SIDE NOTE Cooking is an art that everyone can learn if willing. Try to make this great and healthy meal at home.

Take the fillet out if ready, slice it then serve hot and Enjoy your meal.

DISCERNING YOUR calling

by: Jordan Raynor

Hierarchy of Callings

Even if you’re able to tear down the man-made

There is an unbiblical theme permeating the

hierarchy of callings in your head and in your

Church today which elevates the callings of

heart, the fact remains that “calling” is one of the

pastors and “full-time missionaries” above

most confusing ideas in the Christian life. How can

“secular” vocations. If you’re an entrepreneur,

your work feel like a vocation—a true calling on

photographer, artist, salesperson, doctor,

your life? What does the Bible have to say about

musician, lawyer, or janitor, you have likely sensed

the work God has uniquely equipped you to do?

this often unspoken hierarchy of callings.

What are the best questions to ask when discerning your calling?

Dr. Benjamin Quinn of Southeastern Theological Seminary says, “I [have been] awakened to the

Passions

problem of the pulpit-pew divide—the centuries-

Throughout Scripture, God reveals three primary

old chasm between those who occupy the pulpit

pointers on the road to discerning our calling: our

and those who occupy the pew. The physical

passions, our giftings, and our opportunities

space between pulpit and pew in worship spaces

to use the combination of those two to glorify God

is necessary for practical reasons. The

and serve others.

metaphorical space between the ‘ordained’ and the ‘ordinary’ in the church, however, is

Have you ever wondered why God created the

unfortunate and unbiblical.”

earth and humankind? He certainly didn’t need to.

So in one sense, it appears that God created for

This pervasive idea that there is a hierarchy of

the pure joy of creating. It’s impossible to read the

callings for Christians is simply out of line with

creation account in Genesis 1 without imagining

Scripture. When God created Adam and Eve and

the thrill God must have had bringing the earth

put them to work in the Garden of Eden, they

into being, flinging the stars into the sky, and

weren’t donor-supported missionaries. Adam was

turning the oceans loose. This truth points us to

called by God to be a gardener, a cultivator, and a

the first question on the road to discerning our

branding agent. Jesus spent 85% of his working life

calling:

as a carpenter and small business owner before he launched his “full-time ministry.” The highest

What are you passionate about? In other words,

calling on your life isn’t necessarily being a pastor

what work brings you unspeakable joy?

or missionary; it’s glorifying God and serving others in whatever work God has called you to do.

Isaiah 64:8 says that “We are the clay, and [God]

We have largely ignored this verse in the Church

our potter.” Through Scripture and human

today, choosing to define calling as simply

experience, we innately understand that God uses

what we are really passionate about, rather than

our passions to mold and shape who we are as

the intersection of both our passions and giftings.

individuals. One of the ways in which He molds us and helps us to discern our vocational calling is by

Our work won’t feel like a calling until we re-

designing us with unique passions, the things in

imagine it as service to our Caller and the world.

life that bring us pure joy. Are you passionate

It’s impossible to serve someone well if you aren’t

about entrepreneurship, photography, music, arts,

gifted at your craft. You may be really passionate

law, coffee, sales, or medicine? Those passions are

about wanting to fly an airplane, but if you’ve

from the Lord! As Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us,

never been to flight school, you won’t be serving

God is the one who knitted us together, passions

others by taking the controls in the cockpit. You

and all.

may really want to be an entrepreneur, but if you’ve started multiple companies and have

But while discerning our calling requires that we

consistently lost investors’ money and laid off

first identify our passions, passion alone is not

employees, are you really serving others through

enough to make our chosen work a calling. If we

your chosen work?

stop with the passion question, we will have identified the work we are most eager to do, but

In order to best glorify our Creator and serve

we will not have found our calling. Why? Because

others, we should do the work we are best at,

our work can only be a calling if God calls us to it

work that God has equipped us to do

and we work for His glory and the service of

exceptionally well. In her classic essay, “Why

others, rather than the service of self. How do we

Work?” renowned British novelist Dorothy Sayers

glorify God and serve others through our work? By

said, “The Church’s approach to an intelligent

choosing work that aligns our passions with the

carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not

gifts God has given us, allowing us to do

to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours,

exceptional work.

and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church should be telling him is this: that the very

Giftings

first demand that his religion makes upon him is

As we have seen, identifying our passions are key

that he should make good tables.”

in the process of discerning our calling. But passion without competence is worthless. In

Nobody starts their career knowing what they will

Romans 12:6, Paul said, “Since we have gifts that

be exceptionally good at. We learn what giftings

differ according to the grace given to us, each of us

God has given us through continual trial and error.

is to exercise them accordingly.”

Individual failures don’t necessarily mean that we aren’t gifted and called to a particular line of work.

But if we are to glorify God and serve others through our vocations, we should be in a continual process of analyzing where our passions and giftings align. It is that intersection that brings us one step closer to discerning our calling.

Once that opportunity is clear, it is our responsibility to act! Commenting on the parable of the talents, Reverend Robert Sirico says, “There seems to be a natural connection between the discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities and the master’s admonition in Matthew 25 to be watchful of his return and to be caretakers of his property.”

Opportunities Jesus points us to the third question we should be asking when discerning our calling: What opportunities have we been given to use our passions and giftings to glorify God and serve others?

In the parable of the talents, the opportunity could not be clearer: The master audibly calls his servants and entrusts them with the responsibility of investing his wealth and producing a return. The opportunities for you and I to use our passions and giftings to serve our Master aren’t always as clearly spoken. But in the words of C. S. Lewis, “Aslan is on the move” around us. Through constant communion with God through His Word and through fellowship with other believers, our eyes will be open to where God is moving and where He may be calling us to put our passions and giftings to work for His glory and His agenda.

If the Lord has revealed opportunities to use your passions and gifts to love and serve others through your work, you have discovered your calling. Now it’s up to you to steward those Godgiven gifts well, so that one day the Master might also say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

---------------------------------------------------------------Jordan Raynor, a serial entrepreneur and author who has the honor of working to help Christians connect the gospel to their work. In November 2017, I wrote and published Called to Create: A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk, which became an instant national bestseller. Since then, my team and I have helped more than 1,000,000 Christians do their most exceptional work for the glory of God and the good of others. Most recently, I published Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do.

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BEFORE & AFTER I DO Written By: Pastor Pascal & Annah Lwambwa

THE RIGHT REASONS FOR GETTING MARRIED With the divorce rate so high, one needs to make sure that they are getting into marriage for the right reasons as it is meant to be done once, divorce is not an option. In our last article, we spoke about the wrong reasons for getting married. Let’s take a look at the right reasons for getting married.

1.You love one another, you desire to share your life with your partner.

Love is the basis of every marriage, you cannot get married to someone you are not in love with. We are not saying love is the only thing that makes a good marriage, but it’s definitely a good place to start.

2. You trust the person: One of the most important aspects of a strong and happy marriage is TRUST. You cannot be with someone that you don’t trust, if you don’t trust your partner before marriage, you will not be able to trust them in marriage.

3. To Add value: Getting married because you want to add value to your partner and family is one of the best reasons for getting married.

How do you add value to your partner? By serving! When you feel that you are ready to be of service to someone else you are on the right track. This goes for both men and women, God created men and women to serve Him and to serve one another/people. A self-centred person -

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cannot serve others because it’s all about them. A self-centred person will get married to be served. Serving should be from a place of love and not because you are feeling compelled to doing so.

A person who struggles with keeping a good relationship with friends and family members has a questionable character and cannot commit easily or at all.

4. Sharing the same vision.

When you share the same vision with your partner, you both want to take the marriage in the same direction and you are both willing and ready to support each others’ dreams, purpose and calling.

It is important that you make sure that your vision for the kind of life you want to build together harmonizes well and that you are not pulling each other in different or opposite directions e.g. One wants to go overseas or travel the world, the other wants to start having kids.

Commitment is a choice to give up choices!!!!

5.Commitment to Relationships with friends and family: One of the most important parts of the dating process is to learn about the relationship between your partner and his/her friends and family.

6.You both understand what marriage is..

In the book of Ephesians 5 we get to understand the relationship and love between Christ and the church and how the relationship between a man and a woman should mirror this relationship. That this version of marriage is about sacrificial love and mutual submission. When you and your partner understand what you are getting yourselves into and when you are ready to lay down your lives for each other, love just as Christ loved the church, then you are headed in the right direction.

It’s important to put down your reasons of wanting to get married before popping the question or accepting the proposal. If all your reasons are negative that will be a clear indication for you to put the idea of marriage on hold, until you are absolutely sure that you are both ready and that you are doing it for the right reasons.

If your partner has maintained good long term relationships with friends and family, he will be able to commit to marriage and be in it to stay and not on a temporary basis.

"It’s important to put down your reasons of wanting to get married before popping the question or accepting the proposal"

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THE PRAYER OFJONAH

Pastor , loving Husband , father and a lover of the Word of GOD!

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed upon me forever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Jehovah; And my prayer came in unto thee, into thy holy temple. They that regard lying vanities Forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the -”

voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed.

Salvation is of Jehovah, And Jehovah spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

“ Jonah is given a second chance and second chances are to be cherished and appreciated by those who received them".

@beautyandthegospel 22

Jonah 2:1-10 “ Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish's belly. And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, And he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice. For thou didst cast me into the depth, in the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; All thy waves and thy billows passed over me. And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

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Looking at Jonah and what happened before the prayer 1. Jonah prays for God to forgive him after he was given a task by God to go to Nineveh to preach to the ninivites Jonah 1:1-2 2. He directly disobeyed God and decided to go Tarshish Jonah 1:3 3.The Ship he was hiding in was caught up in a storm (the storm was because he disobeyed) Jonah 1:4-6 4. While the people panicked Jonah was fast asleep Jonah 1:5 a) What do we do when we are faced with calamities? b) Do we resort to panic or do we simply maintain our posture and be cool c) How did we as Christians react the first time we heard about covid -19 ? d) Jesus said to His apostles on the boat when the storm arose as they awoke him “why are you fearful you of little faith Matthew 8:26 5. Jonah was not surprised by the storm because he knew he disobeyed God hence he suggested they must throw him overboard Jonah 1:13-16 6. The sailors threw him overboard Jonah 1:7-16 7. Then God speaks to the great fish to swallow him Jonah 1:17 And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Looking at the people who were with him in the Ship Then crew members we panicking and were in dire distress due to the storm Jonah 1:5 “Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them.” They prayed to God and their gods Jonah 1:5,14. Sometimes we get scared when things are not going all right, and we panic.

Jonah then prays after he was swallowed by the fish Notice how he did not pray while he was still on the ship when the storm was still giving the problems. Maybe him knowing his guilt prevented him to pray.

Maybe he knew that he is the one that caused GOD ‘ S ANGER SO HE DECIDED NOT TO PRAY DURING HIS ANGER Are we allowed to pray during that moment when God is angry with us?

Jonah 2:1-2 “Then Jonah prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish's belly. And he said, I called by reason of mine affliction unto Jehovah, and he answered me; Out of the belly of Sheol cried I, And thou heardest my voice.

Jonah starts by saying that he prayed to his God and he answered. A prayer of repentance God is always eager to listen and respond hence we see Jonah speaking with confidence.

Hebrews 4:15-16 “ For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.

We have to be confident in our prayers as we as the children of God have to trust that even if we have sinned, he will forgive us if we ask him in prayer 1 John 1:8-9 .Jonah was absolutely honest with God with this regard as he knew he caused himself all that befell him so he confesses to God about his afflictions and his part is making them a reality.

Jonah 2:4 “And I said, I am cast out from before thine eyes; Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

@beautyandthegospel

Seeking the Lord (looking towards the Temple an expression used by the Jews when they are about to face God). He comes to God with a repentitive attitude as he recognises that he was rebellious and a rebellious attitude takes us away from God (he looks beyond his rebellious and disobedient attitude and looks unto God for help ).

This happens after one has totally introspected self 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you have relapsed.”After we introspect we look unto God for deliverance and he will definitely grant us that deliverance, God delivers those who diligently seek Him Jeremiah 29:13.

This idea is heavily linked with us when we introspect and see how sinful we are he then saves us from sin ,Jonah talks about the place of dead in verse 2 Sheol ( a Hebrew word for the grave/place of the dead). When we recognise that we are dead in our transgression he saves us hence Christ came Matthew 1:21 .

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Jonah 2:7 he is struck with grief Jonah grieves because of his sin of disobedient attitude towards God. He is sorrowful when he realised he acted against God and it was very rebellious so he remembers GOD FOR WHO HE is ( God is compassionate and loving and is full of mercy that’s what he remembered about God ). When we are deeply sorrowed by the things we do against God he will come and place us under his mercy -

Godly sorrow brings with it repentance JONAH 2:8 “They that regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Mercy is found only in God and when we face problems and then we leave God for alternative responds we are losing more. God is full of mercy and it can only be found in Him no idol can give you mercy ,so trust him because he will never disappoint.

Jonah 2:9 “But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is of Jehovah.

Jonah now recognises that he needs to give back to God his life when he is saved from his trial. He vows to be a faithful servant of God and he will go to Nineveh just as God wanted.

YOURS IN CHRIST PASTOR BONGANI GAMA

monthly devotions

karabo.lekwape

NO THIRD

PARTY As He said Talitha Cum, to the child and she rose up, He can do the same with your circumstance only if you are in a secret place with Him, Because he said it, that settles it.

“But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ~ Mark 5:40 They can laugh at your situation and help you to cry, all hope may seem gone as you look to the left and to the right with no sign of help from anyone or anywhere. Do you know why? There are third parties involved. Some situations need you to be one on one, in a secret place with Jesus so that he can deal with your circumstance without any third party involved.

Your circumstance will change!

saved by grace,

Karab0

ROTUBIRTNOC

@beautyandthegospel

“WHEN YOU ARE FEELING ANXIOUS AND YOU AREN'T SURE WHAT TO DO, YOU NEED AN AHA MOMENT ".

Nicole Young WHAT CONTROLS YOUR PARENTING? AHA! “Anxiety hates actions”. During a recent interview I had with Nicole, a registered counsellor friend of mine, she made the ‘AHA statement”. It jolted me so much and jumpstarted a new way of thinking for me. It still rings so true every time I feel a sense of anxiety.

What drives my mind-set? Let’s have a chat about this all important frame of mind. One of my coachfriends challenged me greatly when she talked about being a “spirit-led parent” not a “fear or anxiety –led parent”. This was another “AHA” moment for me. Dear mom, dad, gran, aunty and uncle, kindly do a heart-check on your parentingdrivers. Ever heard that Bible verse, where Jesus says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”? I have been checking out my heart and value system on parenting and family life.

Families are going through a different set of ranging emotions at this time. Many parents have had to pull up their ‘big boys and girls pants’ to face the varying questions that we have to answer when our little ones ask us big questions. I am almost tempted to simply say, relax, this too shall pass. I know you are sitting with a mug in your hands and asking “really, when will these pass?”

BOLANLE ENANG | FamilyLife Enthusiast| Author| Convener of Signature family building workshops -The Table & Parent Talks| Accredited Facilitator: Evergreen Parenting| Family Wellness Consultant

ROTUBIRTNOC

We are on a lifelong journey of parenting our children and others that have been placed around us. I hear it does not end until we change and go to the other side of eternity.

Did I hear a big sigh or belly-rumbling loud laugh? Wherever you are in this spectrum, just remember that your family is a gift from God. Our nerves, fears and anxieties can be replaced with joys and gratitude. If we take a closer look, we can change our focus.

So take action today and drive out those fears. Leave the past where it belongs – the past. We have the gift of today. Let’s be Holy Spirit led as we parent our children. God wants to be involved in the way we live, speak to our children, create family values and systems, memories and home rhythms.

Speak Life Speak to God about your family daily Replace anxiety with one positive step Step away from your past Do a sincere heart check today.

Check your lens of parenting and clean up where you need to Allow yourself grace daily. Never forget that you are the best parent for your child. Make the right investments into your lives today and someday, your child will thank you for being you.

Toodles….tata.. talk to you again soon Fuzzy love, Bolanle (Fellow Mom)

KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND COMING?

FEATURE-

Jesus wants His children to be watchful, living each day as though his return was imminent.

BY: MARY FAIRCHILD Is there a difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ? According to some Bible scholars, prophetic Scriptures speak of two separate and distinct events—the Rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Rapture will occur when Jesus Christ returns for his church. This is when all true believers in Christ will be taken from the earth

by God into heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51–52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

The Second Coming will happen when Jesus Christ returns with the church to defeat the antichrist, overthrow evil and then establish his thousand-year reign on earth (Revelation 19:11–16).

Comparing the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ In the study of Eschatology, these two events are often confused because they are similar. Both happen during end times and both describe a return of Christ. Yet there are important differences to discern. The following is a comparison of the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ, highlighting the key distinctions noted in Scripture.

1 ) Meeting in the Air - Versus - Returning with Him

In the Rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of he archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever.

1Thessalonians 4:16– 17 (NIV).

In the Second Coming, believers return with the Lord: The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Revelation 19:14 (NIV).

2) Before Tribulation - Versus - After Tribulation The Tribulation is a future seven-year period when God will complete his discipline of Israel and final judgment upon the unbelieving citizens of the world. The Rapture will happen before the Tribulation: For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV)

Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10 (NIV).

The Second Coming, according to Scripture, will be seen by everyone:

While the Second Coming will happen at the end of the Tribulation:

"PERFECT FOR AND 5) The Rapture PARTIES could happen at any moment: ...While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing CELEBRATIONS" of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave,great and small.” Revelation 17-18 (NIV).

3) Deliverance - Versus - Judgment In the Rapture believers are taken from the earth

by God as an act of deliverance: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:13– For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV) In the Second Coming unbelievers are removed from the earth by God as an act of judgment: Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10 (NIV) But the beast was captured and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf.

With these signs, he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21 )NIV).

4) Hidden - Versus - Seen by All The Rapture, according to Scripture, will be an instantaneous, hidden event: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7

Titus 2:13 (NIV)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (NIV).

The Second Coming won't happen until certain events take place: He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV) Immediately after the distress of those days, "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. Matthew 24:15-30 (NIV) Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” Revelation 6-18 (NIV) Confused? Just Live Each Day Well As is common in Christian theology, there are conflicting views regarding the Rapture and the Second Coming. One source of confusion over these two end times events stems from verses found in Matthew chapter 24. While speaking broadly about the end of the age, it's likely this chapter references both the Rapture and the Second Coming. It's important to note, the purpose of Christ's teaching here was to prepare believers for the end. He wanted his followers to be watchful, living each day as though his return was imminent.

The message was simply, "Be Ready."

f o e s r ve ! h t n o m the JOHN 6:63 (NLT)

"THE SPIRIT ALONE GIVES ETERNAL LIFE. HUMAN EFFORT ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING. AND THE VERY WORDS I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE''.

SPIRIT AND LIFE

UNLOCKING A PASSIONATE PRAYER LIFE BY:WWW.WHENPEOPLEPRAY.COM

PASSIONATE PRAYERS Praying for billions of souls has always been easy, but when you have to pray for a lost family member or a difficult situation close to home, it challenges you.

Often, we’re afraid to pray for the people or situations we love the most because, deep down, we worry we will be disappointed if God doesn’t answer our prayers. And so, we don’t pray because we don’t want to be let down. However, I’ve discovered the more intimate and vulnerable we’re willing to be in prayer, the more God can do in our hearts.

What or who are you passionately praying for right now?

How are you being vulnerable with God in prayer?

Passion is an irreplaceable necessity as we develop our prayer life. If you don’t care about what you’re praying for, why should God care?

"PASSIONATE PRAYERS PLEASE THE HEART OF A PASSIONATE GOD.” Consider James 5:16-18, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was a human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years. Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured.”

Key One: Pursue God Daily The secret to sustaining your love for Christ for a lifetime is to pursue Him daily. The key is to discipline yourself.

Jesus set such an incredible example for us while He was here on earth. He regularly went away to a quiet place to spend time with the Father in focused solitude, and so should we.

Luke 4:42 says, “Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place.”

What time of day do you consistently spend with God? Consider how Henri Nouwen said it, “The practice of a spiritual discipline makes us more sensitive to the small, gentle voice of God.” Set a goal: Pursue God Daily.

KEY 2: Pray an Hour a Day We know that when Jesus went to Gethsemane in Matthew 26 that he not only encouraged the disciples to pray with Him, as His hour came near but to pray specifically for an hour.

What if we made it a goal to spend an hour with God daily in prayer, worship, Bible study, and mediation, - not out of religious duty, but out of delight.Whatever that is for you, find a rhythm and make it consistent.

Could you stop right now and schedule your hour of prayer?

Consider how that hour would grow your spiritual walk.

You don’t have to start off at an hour. Give yourself permission to grow into it and beyond.

Set a goal: Pray for an Hour a Day. Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Key 3: Choose a Dedicated Time Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

There is a right time for everything - a time to work, a time to play, and a time to pray.

Find the right time for your daily devotions with God and fight to keep it. What would it look like if you maximized your day by making time to pray before it begins? Could you capitalize on your commute by praying then?

Could you pray while your children are still sleeping?

Prayer softens your heart and awakens your conscience.

Set a goal: Choose a Dedicated Time.

Key 4: Choose a Dedicated Place You have the ability to minimize your distractions by strategically choosing a dedicated place for your time of prayer. Choose your bedroom, office, living room, backyard, car, a park, the mountains, or your generous neighbor’s hot tub while they’re at work.

"AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN WHEN ORDINARY PEOPLE PRAY TO AN EXTRAORDINA RY GOD!” Matthew 6:6 reveals Jesus’ heart for us concerning prayer, “But when you pray, go into your room close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.

Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Where do you go for daily prayer? If you don’t have one, consider this your invitation: Choose a Dedicated Place.

Key 5: Prepare Your Heart to Meet with God Preparation is so important. The first thing to do before praying is to prepare your heart to seek God. Quiet your heart and clear your mind of all distractions, silence your phone, and give God your undivided attention.

What ways do you prepare?

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

It is so important to commune with God intentionally. It takes effort to get your heart ready.

Prepare Your Heart to Meet with God. Key 6: Start with Thanksgiving A great way to start your prayer time is by thanking God for all He has done. Stop right here and begin to Thank Him. What are you thankful for?

Maybe you are thankful for your spouse, your children, your friends, your ministry, your business, and for God’s favor, provision, and protection on your life.

Psalm 95:2 urges us to “come into His presence with thanksgiving.”

Thanking God is the best way to put your problems into perspective. When you start with Thanksgiving, your focus shifts from what you don’t have to what you do have, and that lays a foundation for the rest of your prayer.

Start off right: Thank God. Key 7: Worship Psalm 95:2 connects thanksgiving with worship, “Let us sing psalms of praise to Him.” Music can help facilitate worship, but worship is not the music we play or the songs we sing.

Worship is the love, adoration, and honor we pour out to God.How do you engage with God in worship?How do you express your love?

Do you sing, clap, lift your hands, dance, paint, or write poems? Whatever connects you personally with God can become your personal time of Worship.

Connect with God: Worship Key 8 Listen to God’s Voice Our relationship with God has so many wonderful dimensions.

We are invited to talk with God and pour out our hearts to Him as you would talk to your best friend.

When you’re happy, tell Him. When you’re frustrated, tell Him. He can handle it. When you need wisdom, ask Him. What do you need from God right now? What do you need to tell God right now?

After you talk to God and have read His word, be quiet, and listen to Him. It might seem weird and uncomfortable at first, but it will get easier with practice. Read the Bible slowly. Consider what it says and how it applies to you personally.

Reflect onthe passages you read and their implications for your life.

Read the Bible prayerfully. Pray for God to open your eyes and give you insight, obedience, and intimacy as you go. God responds to us through our thoughts, our emotions, conversations with others, scripture written on our hearts, and many other ways.

Why don’t you start right now?

Key 9: Read the Bible and Meditate After reading the Bible, meditate on it. One day, you might meditate on a whole chapter or story, and on another day, only a single verse or phrase.

Joshua 1:8 explains the power of Scripture meditations: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Take a minute and think about the verses. How do they apply to you? What does it call you to do?

When you Meditate, remember Jesus’ words, “Blessed rather are these who hear the Word of God and obey it.” The whole point of reading the Bible is to put it into practice.

Key 10: Confess and Repent Meditation brings us to a place where we can reflect on our spiritual condition. Ask God to search your heart and reveal any hidden sin.

Consider Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Confession is good but it is incomplete without repentance.

Make this a part of your daily time with the Lord. Confess and Repent Key 11: Journal Journal to rememberwhat God has revealed to you through Scripture.

Record promises He gives you and celebrates answered prayers. When you get discouraged, read your journal, and let it remind you of God’s past faithfulness and give you strength and hope for your current challenges.

Whether your journal is in a fancy leather-bound book or the notepad app on your phone, the type is not nearly as important as the practice.

Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write down the vision: write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever read it can run to tell others.”

Journal to document your journey and inspire future generations to serve God. You can do it: Write in your Journal.

Key 12: Be Accountable Having a spiritual growth partner to support you and hold you accountable makes all the difference. Your primary accountability partner might be your spouse, your best friend, or your brother or sister. Pray together regularly and hold each other accountable.

Who is holding you accountable and who are you in turn holding accountable?

King Solomon speaks to the importance of accountability in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one… If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up” Be Accountable.

There they are! 12 Keys to better your daily pursuit of God. Make these your routine.

But also...Feel free to Mix It Up.

rotubirtnoc

WHO AM I IN

BY: KENDRA DUBLIN

CHRIST I am a vessel. I am a soul. I am a spirit.

I am a mouthpiece. I am a deliverer of God’s thoughts, words, action, plan and completed mission. I am who I am because God is.

I have been placed into a body that creates the outward appearance of the soul. My eyes allure people because of its authenticity. My smile and glow brings those around me into the spirit of God. My physical presence shifts an atmosphere because of the spirit that resides within.

I was placed on this earth to not only move mountains but shift atmospheres beyond North America.

I was made to be the change, which means I can’t change. I can’t allow who I am not or who people think I should be to overtake God’s destiny.

I am not your robot.

But it seems as if every time you move I chime in, I sway, I clap.

My melody becomes the beat of your life,

@iamkendradublin

Coasting with the breeze.

So maybe I shouldn’t click the button that says,

Because I was given the keys to confidence,

I am not a robot,

My boldness is no coincidence.

Because I can't confirm that to be true.

Ken Ken,

But a shifting has started to take place.

Yes sir,

Kendra remember whose

Repeat after me.

you are,

Love God,

I can't keep walking to your song,

Love God.

You don't own me!

Love Jesus,

But you seem to think that’s true.

Love Jesus.

See your shackles are words and philosophy

Love Kendra,

that

Love Kendra.

compete with my meaning of purposed

Remember whose you are,

serenity.

Yes sir.

I am a female,

Don't let anyone tell you, you can't because

I am a leader,

you're a female,

I am a preacher,

Yes sir.

I am an evangelist,

Don't let anyone tell you, you can't because

I am a pastor,

you're African,

And I don't need any of those titles in my name

Yes sir.

to be.

Don't let anyone tell you, you can't because

I am what God pronounced to the demons

they won't,

that's

Yes sir.

why since the age of 3 they tried to bind me.

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you,

But even they could not shut me down,

Yes sir.

Because God was shut up in my bones,

My friend Ken Ken.

Shut up in my veins.

My friend Mike Mike.

So why do you think your soul can control me

Amen.

when the demons couldn't pin me long enough

Kendra 33:1-12

to bend the knee for eternity?

You cannot restrain me,

I am a woman of God. God’s soul. God’s mission,

You will not obtain me,

far beyond my mission of the 20th and 21st

You will not holt me,

century. Amen

You will not shut me up, Because I am free.

I'm flapping my wings soaring to higher abilities, With the Holy spirit leading,

KENDRA DUBLIN

rotubirtnoc

To your revelation.

Christian

BLOGGING 101

Who are you personally and professionally and where are you from?

I am a Christ-follower with a passion for female empowerment from Durban, South Africa. I’m passionate about being a lifelong learner and have my BCOM Hons in Marketing and BSc. Biological Sciences. I’m a freelance writer and the founder of the Christian Lifestyle Blog – Selah Blogger.

How and when did you become Born Again?

I was raised in a Christ-centred home where my parents encouraged me to ask questions and develop a personal relationship with my Creator. I started to pursue my relationship with Christ as my Saviour quite early in my childhood and continue to grow my faith daily.

How and when did you get into blogging? And why Christian blogging?

I started blogging in 2017 after looking for a way to creatively express myself. As I started writing and planning content, I realised that faith plays a role in every aspect of our lives. I decided to create a space for Christian women like myself to find content around faith and everything else that fits into our lives; from devotions and free downloads, motivations and scripture to beauty and literature reviews.

The reality is that there is a lot of content and information readily available in the world. As a Christian woman, I wanted to create content that would speak to every aspect of my personal life. My heart is to continue to build my relationship with Christ and share my journey along the way in the hopes that it would give someone the courage they need to pursue Christ for themselves. @selahblogger

What is blogging?

I personally consider blogging as the creation of a place for discussion on the internet.

This could be used as an online journal or as a place where the creator posts informational posts.

Blogging is about creating an online platform to share your content with people who would be likeminded or interested in the topic. It’s about connecting with people through a blog site or social media platforms.

What inspires your posts and what preparation goes into it?

More often than not my posts are inspired by real life. This could be an upcoming special event, a personal revelation or questions that come up during my own Bible study session or simple everyday conversations or encounters that spark an idea.

Post preparation starts by simply trying to flesh out the idea. Once I have an outline of what I’d like to cover with the post, I move on to deciding if the post and the content will be better suited as a social media post or as a full-length blog post. The blog post or graphic is prepared and I like to try and include any references to research, links to other interesting pieces and scriptures that may be useful in the post (or social media caption).

More than anything, I like to prepare posts in advance and take a few days to pray about and proof the post before going live.

What do you want people to learn from your blog?

I want people to know that they are loved, valued and have a purpose. I want people reading my blogs to find connection to their faith and ultimately to their Creator in a safe environment through lifestyle posts that are relatable to everyday situations and faith based devotional content. I believe that we each have a purpose and there is beauty in creation. No one is alone in this world, we were made to be in relationship with God and with each other. There is enough room in the world for us to each pursue Christ and our hopes and dreams while still being kind and loving to each other.

Other Interests?

Outside of blogging I’m an avid reader, which is probably a natural progression. I spend a. lot of time surrounded by family and my love of gaming has allowed me to connect with my cousins and have some much-needed downtime. I’m always up for a good movie and some popcorn, and I know a lot of people will agree that it’s the perfect activity for a winter day! I love getting to serve at my local church and getting to connect with friends is something that I truly have learned to value.

What is the secret to authentic, thought provoking blogging?

I think that part of being authentic is to be certain of your identity; have a clear concept of what your core values are and be true to where you are on your life’s journey. It’s also important to know what aspects of your personal journey you are comfortable sharing in you writing and what you’d prefer keeping private. It’s incredible to share examples from your personal life in your pieces and be able to connect with the reader on a personal level. Write with honesty, be yourself and ask the questions you’d like to engage in real conversation around. Invite conversation.

Something that I’ve recently learned is that having a mission statement, even if it’s just one that’s kept private, can really help maintain the heart of the blog and helps you bring your heart into every piece. The best pieces to read from any blogger or writer are the pieces where the author is true to themselves. In essence, be true to who you are, don’t try to replicate what seems to work for others, you have been given a gift an opportunity by God and no one else can be who you are.

What makes you different from other Christian bloggers?

My desire is to create content that takes people away from the constant spring and hustle of the life that we live and give them a moment to selah. When we pause for a moment, we gain the opportunity to rejuvenate spirits, ask questions and seek answers in Christ. Selah Blogger is truly a space to be honest and discover how we can find Christ in our everyday lives as well as talk about the ways in which we can relay the love of Christ through seemingly mediocre conversations such as beauty reviews or general lifestyle conversations.

I absolutely don’t claim to have all the theological answers, but I am continuing to learn and grow along my journey. I share my personal revelations and thoughts with my community in the hopes that it would spark a curiosity and a conversation that leads someone to the Creator.

Where would you like to see your blog in the next 2 years?

I would love to see Selah Blogger grow into an online community, a warm and positive place where we spread the love of Christ in everyday interactions. I’d like to start including more downloadable devotions, eBooks and other faith-based content as well as featured posts from people within the community.

Who is King Jesus to you?

He is my Saviour King, the plan for my redemption even though I could never do anything to earn my salvation. Jesus is unconditional love, a light in the darkness and the answer to every question about faith. Jesus is my hope for a future.

Advice on how to start Christian blogging?

To anyone thinking of starting a Christian blog, remember to keep an open heart and be willing to learn. The best thing you can do is to get into the Word, spend time with God and develop your relationship with Him. As you do so, you’ll find that the topics and themes that you’re passionate about will start to resonate with you and spark ideas for posts. Once you have some direction, pick your platform and setup your blog. Remember to check your scripture references when posting and be open to learning and growth along the way.

Here’s my secret – have people around you that you can trust to support you, be honest with you and that can hold you up in prayer. They will be your biggest cheerleaders and source of inspiration and support.

Misconception people have about Christian blogging?

I think that there is a misconception that this is a place reserved for Believers only. Selah Blogger, and a number of other Christian blogs, have created a place for Christians and non-Christians to engage in conversation and learn about faith. There is no exclusivity in it and all are welcome to a safe place where we can answer each other’s questions and seek a deeper relationships with Christ together.

Last words to the Beauty&TheGospel reader?

Know that you are valued! You have been born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). Dream your dreams and stretch your faith. You can take heart and be strong because the Creator of the universe loves you and chose you and you are not alone!

Selah

Monthly Devotion THE TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Read 2 Timothy 4:1-5 This section emphasizes Paul’s earnestness as he writes to Timothy. This earnestness is because the time is running out. Like Timothy we, too, must bear in mind’s Christ’s return and spread the gospel of the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ as quickly and effectively as possible. Although there will always be those who are not interested in the Scriptures, we must not become discouraged. Our task is continue to patiently proclaim the Word at every opportunity.

We are much closer to the Second Coming than Timothy was, therefore, this earnest message is probably even more applicable today. There are so many people in so many countries who have never heard of Jesus Christ, the Saviour. In our own country some have not heard the gospel and others choose not to respond to God’s Word. Are we really doing enough to spread the Word?

The world would not be in such a critical situation if the church had been more faithful in proclaiming the Word to all people. We are not pointing a finger at others because you and I are the church! We need to earnestly heed the call and proclaim the gospel with renewed enthusiasm.

Prayer: Lord, help me to proclaim Your Word with new zeal and enthusiasm.

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