Many of us have received a gift voucher. It is a piece of paper with a certain value attached to it, purchased from a specific store. The recipient may exchange the voucher for an item of his or her choice within the price range of the voucher’s value at the relevant store, thereby redeeming the voucher. To be able to present the voucher as a gift, the giver paid a price for it.
In the Old Testament we find some examples of redemption under the old covenant. In Leviticus 25:24-55 and in Leviticus 27 we read about the instructions given to Moses by God on the redemption of property and people. In Leviticus 27 we read how God gives instructions on how to value a person when somebody made a vow to dedicate that person to the Lord. Verse 28 says, “However, anything specially set apart by the Lord – whether a person, an animal, or an inherited field – must never be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart for the Lord as holy.”
This shows us how important it was and still is to God that we be redeemed to Him. We sinful human beings could never present to God anything of sufficient value to pay our redemption price. But now we are under the new covenant. Jesus came to the earth 2
to redeem us – to pay the price and buy us back through the shedding of His Holy Blood, into God’s Kingdom. “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own Blood He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15).
When we accept Jesus as our Redeemer, it is as if we are given a voucher, obtained from the Kingdom of Heaven, bought by the Blood of Jesus, signed by Jesus Himself. And the value? Eternal life. We will have access to the New Jerusalem, where we will spend forever with Jesus. There where, according to Revelation, the city wall has twelve foundation stones. The first foundation stone is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius (carnelian), the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth and the twelfth amethyst. Upon these foundation stones MY World is built. Our ninth issue - our ninth foundation is
an evangelism tool that is timeless
I just finished reading your Chrysolite issue and would like to thank you for not compromising the truth.
We are so impressed with the uniqueness of the magazine and the soft, gentle presence of Jesus in it and His anointing that bounces off each page. The Spirit of God is in every word. What a resource to go through Africa and even the
I love your magazine because you are bold with God’s Word and do not tolerate double standards.
world!
May God direct your steps as a team, every day, as you seek His face.
God is so amazing and so wonderful, and you truly portray His fragrance, gentleness and beauty in your magazine. May His presence enfold everyone everywhere, whoever gets to read or touch a copy and may their lives be transformed
Love in Jesus Christ
forever. In Jesus’ Name. Alida van der Merwe Stellenbosch
Fiona Koyd The Bridge
Letters to
To all our readers... Thank you, thank you, thank you! To everyone who phones... Your calls are welcomed and so encouraging! It was with great excitement that I received two copies of your magazine. Thank you for proclaiming the truth as it is and not compromising in order to win more secular readers.
Please e-mail your letters to letters@myworld.za.com or post them to Private Bag 2003, Krugersdorp, 1740. Please phone us at +27(11) 953-5214
Thank you for such a precious magazine. It is an absolute pleasure to read MY World. Please be uplifted in what you people are doing – the road is not always easy, but the end result is absolutely magnificent.
Jesus used stories to convey truth during His ministry and I believe that stories are still one of the most powerful ways to influence, teach and impact people today.
Just as the people of old received manna from Heaven on a daily basis, may He bless you people afresh daily.
Kind regards
Agape
Lisl Fair Harrismith
Shagém Pinegowrie (Translated from Afrikaans)
Topaz
Issue
Contents
REAL LIFE Anger
10
40
“Son of David, have mercy on me”
20
42
26
Actors Sisanda and Bonnie stay pure for Jesus
God spoke through a cloud on a mountain, caused by a fire...
32
46
Kathu
WORK AND PLAY Financial unity Unity in business
50
Mirror, mirror Created to care
“Separate and purify yourselves to Me for worship... for in that, know this - the preparation of the Bride has begun!”
Fruit stories
An emerging beacon in the spiritual landscape
Llewellyn Roberts, a man of God
Redeemed to love
FRUIT, FRUIT, FRUIT
58
IT WAS GOOD Baobab True landmarks on the barren landscape of their habitat
60
Graceful migrator Traveling the world - the tiny swallow
Welcome to Topaz - Our issue of redemption! 6
At the end of 2005 God gave me the word for Topaz: “Watch and Pray”. I always seek confirmation of the word through Scripture as well as the correct interpretation for the word and the relevance to the time for which God has given it. God has been speaking to me earnestly about the preparation of the Bride of Christ. If you read the articles in our two previous issues, Chrysolite (“Today, if you hear His Voice do not harden your hearts”) and Beryl (“When Purity meets purity, there is Power... Tell My people to lay down their pagan wives”) you would see the word of purity, holiness and preparation come through strongly. In this issue, Topaz, the message God gave me (page 32 – 37) is, “Separate and purify yourselves to Me for worship… for in that, know this, the preparation of the Bride has begun.” Of late God has been leading me into a preparation process. At first I did not understand the meaning of it all, but I obeyed when I received certain instructions from Him. Only a few months later, I received a prophetic word of which in part is, “Prepare My Bride, I will teach you the steps, and you will teach My Bride.” Needless to say, I found this quite overwhelming, but I chose to obey. God has chosen to take me on a spiritual walk with Him, one that nothing and nobody can stop. He has ordained it for such a time as this; only He knows the full outcome and all I need to do, which by His grace I choose, is obey every step of the way. So although it is a physical process, it is a deeply spiritual preparation. God has also instructed me to document every phase for in it lies a wealth of wisdom for the preparation of the Bride of Jesus. As I have mentioned, what the outcome will be, only He knows, but I want to be prepared. So in time to come, as the Holy Spirit leads, I will be sharing these experiences with you. Back to the word “Watch and pray”. One of the initial things I had to do in the physical, was to have my eyes tested. I did not really understand but I obeyed. The results showed that I was in need of two pairs of glasses. One to see afar, to drive with and the other to see close by, to read with. After I had chosen the two different frames, I thought that I would receive the reading glasses first, as those were the ones I needed most. I needed them for designing, writing and reading purposes. Yet when the optometrist phoned me, it was the pair for seeing afar that was ready for collection. I asked God why I had to receive this pair first as I thought I needed the other pair more urgently. The answer I received was simple. If I wanted to start walking in the spirit, if I wanted to go higher in my relationship and fellowship with God in preparation of the return of Jesus, I would have to put on my glasses for seeing afar. I had to firstly look into the future, to the way God sees me, to the plans He has for me, to the destiny He has for my life. If I could see that clearly and understand the calling upon me as a person, I would be able to walk into that destiny. I would be able to pray into those areas and I would also be able to pray against the attacks from Satan. I would be progressive in my warfare. I would take territory and not walk in defeat because I would have vision, purpose and strategy for victory. I would see the bigger picture. I would also be able to see what was going on around me in the world, prophetically, in the times we are
living in now. It brought to mind Habakkuk 2:1-3, “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and I will answer when I am corrected. Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.’ ” It also reminded me of 1 Chronicles 12:32, “of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” So I understood that I had to watch afar, be aware and discern the times we are living in and be completely focused on the destiny and the role I have to play in God’s plan. After receiving this pair of glasses I patiently waited for the reading glasses. When the appointed date for delivery arrived, the optometrist phoned to inform me that they had broken the frame. I knew there was a reason so I asked God to make it clear. He simply said that I was not yet ready for them. Eventually, on the day when I went to fetch my reading glasses, I received the news that the optometrist who had to install the lenses (they had to be cut specifically for the frames I chose) was too busy and by accident cracked the one lens. I could take the glasses as they were but the optometrist had ordered me a new frame and had sent it to a specialist laboratory for installation. I immediately prayed and asked God to explain it to me, as this was all part of the preparation process I had to undertake. Well, firstly, the reading glasses are to look close by, in other words not afar at the vision but at your own life and particularly your heart. Sometimes you are just not yet ready to look into your own heart but at the appointed time God, through the Holy Spirit and particularly through His Word, will start dealing with issues in your life that could hinder you from growing in your relationship with Him. What was the significance of the cracked lens? We often place our spiritual growth in the hands of others. We become too dependent upon other people and they too can become busy with other things. What happens is that our vision then is affected. Instead of having your heart cleansed, you become cracked or scarred in the process and your vision can be distorted. You should not blame a person for this but what God clearly taught me, was that if we truly want to be cleansed and purified in our hearts, we need to go to a Specialist laboratory, where time will be taken with each individual to ensure that we are empowered to seek our hearts with all diligence. This Specialist is nobody else than the Holy Spirit. We will put on His prescription glasses specially designed for the state of our hearts. Only then, cleansing and healing can begin towards purity. Hebrews 4:12 says “For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from Him. Everything is naked and exposed before His Eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.” I understood the meaning of the word “Watch…” God is calling His children to watch! Watch afar and watch within. Understand the times and make sure you get your own life in order. Then, “…and pray”. Prayer is vital. You cannot only watch. God’s Word says that the prayer of a righteous avails much. James 5:16 “…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” In 1 Peter 4:7 we read “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.” Our prayers need to be focused, based upon that which we are watching for (the vision), and watching within (our hearts), with eternity in mind. We are being called to separate and purify ourselves to God for worship… for in that, we need to know this, the preparation of the Bride has begun. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in Heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming - in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning - lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:32-37). From this Scripture passage I understand the great significance that was placed on the example of my glasses. We, as the servants in the parable, need to watch and know our tasks, our purpose and our destiny. We must make sure that our homes (our hearts) are in order; we must continuously be in prayer and in doing this, we are being prepared for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one knows the time, day or the hour… but get ready, lest we are found sleeping. Watch and pray… for your redemption draws near. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). Watch and pray… for the preparation of the Bride has begun!
7
“Lord, You are mighty and able to create new life from a partly withered stump. You have taken my weak faith in Your Hand and renewed my life.” Zoë
photography: liezl du preez
ANGER anger
Daily we are confronted by consequences of anger, such as road rage, violence, verbal and physical abuse, impatience, conflict, bitterness and revenge. These are real issues and people are seeking a solution. Approaches vary from the belief that you are not allowed to become angry, that anger is permitted when justified, and the extreme that you have the right to vent your anger without limits, irrespective of the consequences. The trend in the corporate world seems to be to “send them on an anger management course.” God’s Word brings us the true perspective on the reality of anger and how to not manage it, but deal with it. In order to provide some insight from this perspective, we place the following excerpt from the chapter titled “Anger” of Gary R. Collins’s book “Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide”, with kind permission of W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
11
12
ANGER IS AN emotional state, experienced by everyone, but impossible to define precisely. It occurs in varying degrees of intensity, from mild annoyance or aggravation to violent rage. It begins in infancy and continues to the later years. It may be hidden and held inside or expressed openly and freely. It can be of short duration, coming and going quickly, or it may persist for decades in the form of bitterness, resentment, or hatred. Anger may be destructive, especially when it persists in the form of aggression or revenge, but it can also be constructive if it motivates us to correct injustice or to think creatively. Anger is aroused when we feel threatened, demeaned, or blocked in our progress toward some desired goal. Usually we know when we are angry, and others know as well. Sometimes, however, anger is kept hidden behind a calm and smiling facade, or buried someplace in the recesses of our brains. It always involves a physiological arousal that the angry person may not recognize consciously. Anger, openly displayed, deliberately hidden from others, or unconsciously expressed, is at the root of many psychological, interpersonal, physical, and spiritual problems. Along with hostility, anger has been called “the chief saboteur of the mind,” and “the leading cause of misery, depression, inefficiency, sickness, accidents, loss of work time and financial loss in industry... No matter what the problem – marital conflict, alcoholism, a wife’s frigidity, a child’s defiance, nervous or physical disease – elimination of hostility is a key factor in its solution.” These are strong words but probably not an overstatement. Anger can interfere with our ministries and hinder our counselling, especially when counselees make us angry. Some have argued that the entire course of world history has been shaped by anger and the struggle for emotional control. Despite its prevalence and importance,
however, anger has tended to be overlooked by researchers. It is difficult to measure and rarely mentioned in counselling journals.
THE BIBLE AND ANGER Divine wrath and human anger are mentioned repeatedly in the Bible. In the Old Testament alone there are almost six hundred references to wrath or anger, and this theme continues in the New Testament. Anger is an attribute of God and a common, probably universal, experience of human beings. In the Bible, God’s anger, fury, and wrath are mentioned more frequently than His love and tenderness. Since anger is a part of God’s nature, we cannot conclude that anger, in itself, is bad. God is completely good and holy, so we must conclude that divine wrath is also good. According to James I. Packer, “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil.” Divine anger is vigorous, intense, controlled, and consistent with God’s love and mercy. It is anger directed both at sin and at people who are sinners. Repeatedly God was angry with the unfaithful Israelites, and Jesus (whose wrath clearly is seen in Mark 3) was angry at the “stubborn hearts” of the religious leaders in His day. Because all human beings are sinners, we deserve to receive the full outpouring of God’s wrath against sin. But God, who is just, is also forgiving and compassionate. For this reason, He at times restrains the full expression of His wrath to give human beings the time and opportunity to repent. Romans 1:18 speaks of a divine wrath that, at present, is being revealed “from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by wicked-
ness,” but the Bible also speaks of a wrath to come in the future. An understanding of the divine wrath of God is important if we are to comprehend the biblical teachings about human anger. The Bible never criticizes the anger of God, but it warns against human anger repeatedly. This is not a double standard. Anger against injustice is right and good in both God and human beings. Because God is wise, sovereign, powerful, perfect, and all-knowing, He never misinterprets a situation, never feels threatened, never loses control, and is always angered by sin and injustice. In contrast, we humans misinterpret circumstances, make mistakes in judgment, react quickly when we feel threatened or hurt, and sometimes respond with vengeance and vindictiveness. As a result, human anger can be harmful and dangerous. The Bible cautions us about this because human anger can provide an opportunity for Satan to get a foothold that creates further problems. When you are angry do not sin, we read in Ephesians 4:26. “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” From these and similar Bible passages, we can reach several conclusions about human anger. 1. Human Anger Is Normal and Not Necessarily Sinful. Human beings were created in the image of God and given emotions, including anger. This anger is a necessary and useful emotion. It was seen in Jesus and is not sinful in and of itself. 2. Human Anger May Result from Faulty Perception. God is perfect, omniscient, and always completely accurate in the way He sees things. Because of this, divine anger is always a reaction of righteous indignation against some form of unrighteousness. Human beings, in contrast, are imperfect and we see each situation from our own perspectives. We are not always
able to judge accurately between real injustice (as perceived accurately by an omniscient God) and apparent injustice. As a result, we sometimes become angry over issues that we think are wrong but which, in fact, would not be considered wrong if we had all the facts. Sinful self-interest often causes our perceptions to be distorted. Because we feel vulnerable, threatened, or inclined to be critical, we can misinterpret the actions of others and jump to angry, perhaps unjustified conclusions. 3. Human Anger Often Leads to Sin. Like other emotions, anger can be constructive (serving a useful purpose) or destructive. It can be Christ-honouring or it can be sinful. Paul’s warning, “in your anger do not sin,” (Ephesians 4:26) suggests that some expressions of anger are appropriate but others are morally wrong. Because it so easily leads to sin and harmful, destructive behaviour, anger is often condemned in the Bible. Anger, we are warned, lies in the lap of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7:9.) We should, therefore, “refrain from anger and turn from wrath,” (Psalm 37:8; Proverbs 16:32) being careful to control our tempers. When others are angry, we are reminded that “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1.) Although it isn’t wrong in itself, anger clearly can get out of control and cause problems. Sinful anger can be expressed in a variety of ways including vengeance, verbal abuse, dishonest sharing, and even a refusal to admit that one is angry. a. Vengeance. Bitterness, hatred, revenge, and an attitude of judgement all result from anger and all are condemned in Scripture. Vengeance is God’s responsibility alone. There can be no scriptural justification for human revenge or hostile attempts to get even.
b. Verbal abuse. Christians are responsible for controlling their words, but this is especially difficult when we are angry. In the Old Testament the person who ventilates verbally and loses his or her temper is described as a fool. In the Book of James, the dangers of verbal abuse are clearly outlined and in the same sentence readers are urged to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) Some modern writers, concerned about anger-inspired physical abuse and violence in families, are now suggesting that anger-inspired verbal abuse also can be a powerful and prevalent form of mistreatment. c. Dishonest Sharing. The Bible teaches that there is value in expressing anger if this will lead another person to repent and change for the better. This is a proper use of anger. But what if we pretend to be concerned about the other person’s own good but use this as an excuse for expressing our own hostility? All of this is dishonest sharing, a form of subtle and sinful vengeance. d. Refusal to Share. Since we are instructed to express anger when it is for the good of another, then it is wrong to deny, ignore, distort, or refuse to share our feelings. It is not easy to express anger in a way that lets others know that we feel hurt. As a result, some people refuse to admit their anger or gloss over feelings in a well-intentioned attempt to maintain peace. The motivation may be commendable, but the effects can be harmful. The other person never realizes that he or she has made someone angry and never knows why. As a result, there is no opportunity to change for the better. In turn, the person who represses anger sometimes harbours a bitterness that can lead to depression. The Bible even calls such repression a form of lying. 4. Human Anger Can Be Controlled. It is unlikely that God would have instructed us
to control anger if human anger control is impossible. Several Bible passages imply that control is possible and indicate how this can be done. a. Anger Must Be Acknowledged. Before we can put away our bitterness, wrath, anger, and malice, we must admit, at least to ourselves, that such feelings exist. b. Outbursts Must Be Restrained. The man or woman of God thinks before acting. There must be a quiet weighing of issues instead of a gushing forth of sinful verbal explosions. Sometimes it is helpful to share one’s burden of anger with a friend; it is always good to pour out one’s feelings to God. This verbal activity often leads to new perspectives that reduce or dissipate anger before it is expressed inappropriately and allowed to harm others or damage relationships. This is seen clearly in Psalm 73. The writer got angry and embittered because the wicked seemed to be so happy and successful while the godly were having trouble. Instead of exploding in anger the psalmist came into the presence of God and began to get a fresh new perspective on the apparent injustice in the world. His anger, as a result, subsided and was replaced by praise. c. Confession and Forgiveness Must Be Utilized. This involves confession to God, confession to others, and a willingness both to forgive and to receive forgiveness (repeatedly if necessary). d. Ruminating and Revenge Must Be Resisted. It might be assumed that when Jesus was persecuted he had every right to become angry. Nevertheless, “when they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23.)
13
People who are angry often enjoy ruminating on their difficulties, thinking vengeful thoughts and pondering ways to get even. This tendency must be resisted and replaced with an attitude of entrusting oneself and one’s circumstances to God. In summary, anger is seen in the Bible as a universal emotion that is good when expressed against real injustice, harmful when expressed for self-centred motives, and clearly an emotion to be controlled. “A man who controls his temper,” wrote Solomon, “is better than a warrior who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
THE CAUSES OF ANGER
14
For many people, anger seems to come more often because of the actions of others than because of circumstances or events. The Bible gives several illustrations of this. Jonah was “greatly displeased and became angry” when the people repented and God spared Nineveh, largely because of Jonah’s reluctant preaching. (Jonah 4:1.) Herod became indignant and angry when he saw that the wise men had tricked him. (Matthew 2:16.) The ten disciples were angry when James and John asked for special prominence in the Kingdom. (Matthew 20:24.) Jesus, Himself, got angry at the self-righteous attitudes of the religious leaders and at the disciples’ impatience with the little children who wanted to see him. (Mark 3:5; 10:14.)
2. Injustice. This is the reason for divine wrath; injustice should also arouse anger in believers. Consider, for example, the actions of Jesus when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. The Bible does not state that he was angry, but his overturning their tables and his criticisms of their disrespect for God’s house surely imply anger. This was anger in response to a wrong that was being done. Clearly, this is one of the most valid reasons for anger (perhaps the only valid reason), but it probably is one of the least mentioned. 3. Frustration. A frustration is an obstacle (an event, person, or physical barrier) that hinders our progress toward some goal. Frustration may come (a) because of what someone else has done or failed to do, (b) because of unwanted events or circumstances, or (c) because of our own failures or inabilities to reach some desired goal. 4. Threat and Hurt. Anger is often aroused when a person perceives that he or she is rejected, put down, ignored, humiliated, unjustly criticized, or otherwise threatened. Sometimes we feel that others demand too much from us, have unrealistic expectations, or treat us unfairly. Threats like these challenge our self-esteem, remind us of our imperfections or limitations, and make us feel so vulnerable that anger and aggression become ways to fight back. Sometimes the anger hides the fact that we are hurt or threatened and lets us feel better at someone else’s expense. According to one psychologist, hurt and anger always go together. “Seconds after the event which arouses the hurt feeling, another feeling skyrockets into awareness – anger.” This anger comes so quickly and is so visible that it is easy to miss the hurt that comes first.
their anger in different ways. By watching or listening to others (including what we see on television), we learn how to act when we are angry and we even learn what to be angry about. One counsellor who works with angry teenagers concluded that “in nearly every situation, there was at least one parent who was also a very angry person.” By watching others, children and adults both learn when and how to be angry. “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,” we read in Proverbs 22:24-25. “Do not associate with the one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”
THE EFFECTS OF ANGER People do not all respond to an angerproducing situation in the same way. Our reactions could depend on the attitudes and examples of our parents, the size of our family or neighbourhood where we live, our personalities and level of maturity, and the way we perceive a situation. It is probable that stressful events in the environment are less likely to arouse anger than are our perceptions, background experience, and interpretations of the events. This helps explain why the same situation that makes one person respond with strong anger will barely ruffle another. These individual differences also help to explain why one person can calm another or, in contrast, why one angry person can arouse another’s anger.
help to Perhaps there are as many causes of anger as there are situations and human actions that make people angry.
Nevertheless, most of these causes can be summarized under a few headings. 1. Biology. There is evidence that allergies, brain disease, disorders or the body’s chemistry, and perhaps genetic abnormalities can cause anger or at least make some people more prone than others to become angry.
5. Learning. Anthropological studies have shown that people from different cultures get angry over different issues and express
1. Holding Back. This is perhaps the easiest but least effective way to deal with anger. When we withdraw from a situation, we often can ignore our anger and hold back facing and expressing our frustrations. Withdrawal can take several forms:
- Leaving the room, taking a vacation, or otherwise removing oneself physically from the situation that stimulates anger.
- Avoiding the problem by plunging into work or other activities, by thinking about other things, or by escaping into a world of television or novels.
wallow in bitterness, wrath, anger, and slander. This grieves the Holy Spirit because we are ignoring His spiritual guidance and directions in our lives.
- Hiding from the problem by alcohol or drug abuse or other behaviour that could be used to get back at the person who makes us angry.
3. Acting Out. It can be helpful to remember that anger is not the same as aggression, even though the two frequently go together. Anger is an emotional response that includes both physical and mental arousal. Aggression is a type of behaviour that inflicts pain or pressure on others. It is possible to be angry and not aggressive; we also can be aggressive without being angry. c. Redirected Aggression. Sometimes aggressive anger is aimed at somebody who is When anger leads to aggression, the person innocent. The man who is angry with his is said to be acting out. This can be done in boss may stifle his anger at work (lest he three ways: direct aggression, passive be fired), but he takes it out on his wife or children at home in the evening because aggression, and redirected aggression. this is a safe place to ventilate. The family a. Direct Aggression. The most natural and may not have caused the anger, but they immediate response to anger is to lash out, bear the brunt of the angry person’s verbally or physically, against the person or feelings. situation that has made us angry. When an individual explodes in anger, he or she may All of these acting-out approaches are feel better for a short period of time. ultimately destructive. They are forms of Others, however, are hurt in the process. the eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth, getOften the person who exploded feels later even philosophy that Jesus so clearly embarrassment and guilt, relationships are condemned. damaged, friendships and jobs are sometimes terminated, property may be 4. Facing the Sources of Anger. This is an destroyed, and the direct expression of approach that attempts to deal directly anger usually leads to more anger in the with the threatening, incapacitating, or fear-producing situation that is causing the future rather than less. anger. The individual admits the anger, b. Passive Aggression. Some people are pleas- tries to see its causes, sometimes looks at ant and apparently cooperative in face- the situation in a different way, and then to-face situations, but they give vent to does whatever seems best to accept or their anger in subtle ways. “My wife is a change the anger-producing situation. This wonderful cook,” a preacher said in his is a constructive approach to anger reducsermon. “She makes wonderful burnt tion that some people only learn with the sacrifices.” Everybody laughed, including help of a counsellor. the wife, but beneath the humour she felt her husband’s barb. Passive-aggressive COUNSELLING AND ANGER people may gossip and spread damaging stories, “forget” to do what they prom- When there is a desire for change, counselised, refuse to cooperate, make “put ling can take several forms. down” or embarrassing comments when others can’t respond, or leave another 1. Help Counselees Admit Anger. Anger
Holding back anger can be healthy for a while. It gives the person time to reevaluate the situation and can prevent angry outbursts and the resulting guilt. When anger is ignored, however, it begins to affect us in other ways. 2. Turning Inward. Sometimes people force anger out of awareness and deny, consciously or unconsciously, that it even exists. This can be an unhealthy way to cope with the problem. At best the relief is only temporary and in time the pressure builds until it bursts out to create more difficulties. When anger is kept within and not expressed there may be calmness and smiling on the outside but boiling rage inside. This internal anger is a powerful force that may express itself in: - Physical symptoms ranging from a mild headache to ulcers, high blood pressure, or heart attacks. - Psychological reactions such as anxiety, fear, or feelings of tension and depression.
person’s property where it “just happens” to be damaged or stolen. Drinking, failing in school, or an extramarital affair are examples of subtle ways that people use to attack or get even with parents, a mate, or some other person who has made us angry. The passive-aggressive person seems to have an exquisite talent for doing what hurts the most, but often these actions can be excused, justified, or explained. This is an indirect form of aggression aimed at the source of one’s anger.
15
o admit - Unconscious attempts to harm ourselves (seen, for example, in accident proneness, a tendency to make mistakes, or even suicide).
- Thinking characterized by self-pity, thoughts of revenge, or ruminations on the injustices that one is experiencing. - Spiritual struggles that come because we
f o rg i ve n e s s 16
that is denied will never be eliminated, but sometimes the most difficult challenge in counselling is to help people see and admit that they are angry. Such an admission can be threatening, especially for people who are angry at a loved one or who think that all anger is wrong. It may help to point out that anger is a common, God-given emotion that, for most people, gets out of control periodically. Point out some of the signs of hidden anger (depression, physical symptoms, criticism, a tendency to gossip or not cooperate, impatience, or similar behaviours). If the counselee persists in denying the anger even after hearing the evidence, perhaps he or she will admit the possibility that anger is present.
- Why am I feeling anger and not some other emotion?
2. Help Counselees Express Anger. One of the greatest and most destructive myths about anger is the view that we need to get it out of our systems, let off steam, swear, holler, scream, pound a pillow, or find some other way to vent hostility in an effort to decrease feelings of anger. This idea is never suggested in Scripture and neither is it supported by psychological research. In contrast, there is evidence that ventilation, expressions of rage, tantrums, and continual talking about our anger all tend to increase anger instead of reducing it.
- Is there another way to look at the situation?
How, then, can anger be expressed in more healthy ways? Sports and hobbies can sometimes be harmless ways to redirect our energies. Even better are some of the suggestions given by Christian psychologist Archibald Hart. Try to deal with your hurts and anger as they arise, one at a time, he suggests. This keeps anger from building up. Ask yourself if the anger is justified and if it has come because you feel afraid or threatened. When someone has hurt you, tell the person and say why it has hurt and made you feel angry. “Blowing up at someone you love doesn’t help much. But the articulation of anger does help. To tell someone you care about that he or she has hurt or angered you is to allow a rectification.” Recognize that the other person has feelings too, and try to understand these. Listen and accept any explanation or apology that may be offered and try to be forgiving. All of this can be helpful to counselees who have a tendency to explode first and talk later. 3. Help Counselees Consider the Sources of Anger. Counselees can be taught to ask themselves some basic questions whenever they feel angry. (Counsellors can also make a practice of asking themselves these questions.) - What is making me feel angry?
- Am I jumping to conclusions about the situation or person who is making me feel angry? - Is there something about this situation that threatens me and makes me feel afraid or inferior? - Did my anger come because I had some unrealistic expectations? - How might others, including the person who is angering me, view this situation?
- Are there things I can do to change the situation in order to reduce my anger? Anger that is acknowledged, considered, and re-evaluated loses much of its power. 4. Focus on Humility, Confession, and Forgiveness. Teaching people to admit and evaluate their anger may be good first steps in dealing with the issue, but these are not permanent solutions. As we have seen, anger can lead to sinful thoughts, desires, words, and actions. Counselees must be helped to deal with these issues if anger is to be controlled. Humility, confession, and forgiveness are of basic importance. a. Humility. It can be a humbling experience to admit that we are angry or have lost self-control and acted aggressively. Some people apparently prefer to remain angry rather than risk admitting their weaknesses or failure. Others, however, are willing to acknowledge the reality of their anger along with any accompanying sinful side-effects. This attitude must come before confession. b. Confession. The Bible emphasizes the importance and value of confessing to God and others. When we confess to God, telling Him honestly that we are angry and admitting that we are sorry for our acts of aggression, then we can know for certain that we are forgiven. If we confess to one or more fellow believers, they can support, forgive, encourage and pray for us. c. Forgiveness. Some people know intellectually that they are forgiven, but since they don’t feel forgiven, they continue in their guilt. Perhaps one way to feel forgiven is to remind ourselves repeatedly of 1 John 1:9. An additional technique is to be sure that
PREVENTING ANGER Anger is a God-given emotion that, in itself, cannot and should not be eliminated or prevented. There are several ways, however, in which the unhealthy, destructive, and non-biblical aspects of anger can be prevented. 1. Biblical Teaching. The Bible, as we have seen, says a great deal about anger, but it seems that these teachings are not often shared in a theologically clear and practical, relevant way. In the absence of such instruction, Christians are confused by the seeming contradictions between the anger of Jesus and the biblical admonitions to control anger. On a practical level there is uncertainty about one’s own anger and how it can be handled. Repeated teaching about anger and self-control can help individuals to better understand these concepts, to distinguish between righteous anger and personal reactions, and to avoid the long-lasting destructive effects of anger and hostility.
18
2. Avoiding Anger-Arousing Situations and People. Problems are never solved if we avoid them in an attempt to maintain peace. Sometimes duty or wisdom demand that we face frustrating situations squarely or deal directly with difficult people. Even so, there are times when one can stay away from situations, events, or people who are likely to arouse unnecessary anger. 3. Learning to Re-evaluate Situations. It is difficult to control emotions, but we can control the thoughts that give rise to feelings. In the home, but also in the church and school, people can be taught by words and by example to evaluate each angerarousing situation. They can learn to respond calmly, perhaps by using “I”-statements, and without blaming, overreacting, or saying things that might be regretted later. Instruction about these issues can be helpful, but lasting learning is not likely to come from a lecture or book. Most people will learn slowly, by watching others and by having experiences, including failure experiences, that in time can teach more about anger-control. 4. Building Self-Esteem. It has been said that we can no more insulate ourselves from irritating remarks, attitudes, and actions than we can hide from germs. We can, however, protect ourselves by maintaining the resistance that comes from a
healthy self-respect. Anger is less destructive and more easily controlled when a person is secure as an individual and not plagued by excessive feelings of inferiority and self-doubt. When Christians have realistic pictures of themselves as persons of value, there is less need or inclination to get angry. 5. Avoiding Ruminations. When people get angry they often go through the day meditating on the causes of their anger. As this ruminating continues, the original causes are often blown up into false proportions. This can cause the anger to increase, especially when critical people associate with other critical people and share their criticisms. In this way some people develop a whole mind-set of negativism and bitterness that grows worse as they get older. This kind of thinking may be fun, at first, because it lets the thinker fantasize about his or her own superiority. Because this thinking is destructive, it must be resisted and replaced with thinking that is positive and less critical. This message should be taught and modelled in the church and at home. Such teaching can prevent the harmful build-up of anger. 6. Learning to Confront. Conflict and disagreement are a part of life that cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, people can be taught how to tell each other how they feel, what they want, and what they think. This need not be done with a critical confrontation that stimulates anger. Instead, the truth can be spoken gently and in love. When we learn to communicate honestly and effectively there is a prevention and reduction of destructive anger. 7. Spirit Control. Uncontrolled anger, as we have seen, is listed in the Bible as one of the deeds of the flesh, but self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. As believers in Jesus Christ seek to avoid sin and sincerely desire to be led by His Holy Spirit, there can be a slow but predictable growth in self-control and a steady decline in anger and hostility. Committing one’s life to the Spirit’s control on a daily basis can be an effective approach to the prevention of destructive anger.
19
words: retha fick
photography: liezl du preez
22
THE SON OF ministers Fred and Nellie Roberts from Durban Christian Centre in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Llewellyn heard a lot about God and the Bible from an early age, but as a child he never accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour. After he had finished school his parents sent him to Bible school in the United States and even there the reality of God’s personal love and plan of redemption did not reach his innermost being. His disappointment in role models at Bible school made it even less likely for him to get to know God for who He really is. Llewellyn’s words to God at the time were, “This is not real. These people say they have a relationship with You, but they don’t have a real relationship with You.” When he returned to South Africa, he made the deliberate decision to turn his back on the church and on God. “The Bible says you should not be lukewarm. When I came back from the US, I decided I was going to be cold. I was determined not to be lukewarm, and I wasn’t hot. I wanted to be cold.” Llewellyn became involved in organized crime and, having smoked dagga from the age of 19, he was soon to move on to heavier drugs. Llewellyn learned that drug abuse presents itself as a hiding place from emotional hurt. The deception is that the hiding place is temporal, and in the long run the drugs are a sure killer. To him it was the hiding place from deep pain inside. Having been molested for seven years since the age of 14 by a person his parents thought they could trust, he found it impossible to establish meaningful relationships with women. He passionately hated the church and everything about it, as he felt that the church had taken his parents from him. He regarded Christians as hypocrites as he couldn’t find in them the realness he so desperately looked for. “You do not know how to express yourself because of the hurt you feel. You don’t think anybody understands. That is why people become
addicted to substances. They misuse alcohol and drugs or eat too much because it helps them to hide from their pain for a while. The problem is that it eventually destroys you. At the end you lose yourself – the person you really are.” Llewellyn lost not only himself in this way, but also his relationship with his wife and his son. He got divorced at the age of 30 after a marriage of nine years. “Later on you do not care about anything. The deception of drugs is that they do help for a while. You experience good feelings. Ecstasy, for example, causes you to feel extreme feelings of love, but these are false feelings. I believe it is a counterfeit of the peace that the Holy Spirit gives. Once you start abusing drugs, you feel that you have to have more and more. It is so dangerous.”
“It felt like wind but it washed like water”
Eventually Llewellyn became involved in drug dealing and debt collecting. He managed escort agencies and worked as a bouncer at different nightclubs. “I just became worse and worse. The devil destroys you if he succeeds to destroy the knowledge that you are somebody in God’s eyes. The more I felt this pain on the inside, the more I hurt other people. I lost everything that I was. I lost all feeling inside. I couldn’t care if my son lived or died. I didn’t care about my wife. The only thing I cared about was drugs. I eventually
reached a place where I decided I was going to die. At that stage I was under investigation for murder. I was an embarrassment to my father; I used to break into their house and steal everything that they had. I also broke into the church. “One day I found myself faced with the choice whether or not to kill somebody and what frightened me most was that I wasn’t worried about taking somebody’s life, but where to dump the body. That day I realized I had lost myself. I didn’t feel anything any more. There was no joy, no peace, and no excitement about life. I was alone and living in a world of fear. That is what drug abuse does to you; it leaves you with tunnel vision. You just can’t see any way out. You constantly live in a state of depression. I believed my parents didn’t love me; I had lost everything I cared about; so I decided I was going to die. That day I took some pure cocaine, put it on the table, walked to the window of the flat, looked up to the sky, and told God, ‘You promised in Your Word that I can know You. I have asked You to forgive me. I’ve spoken to You. I was brought up in the church, but I’ve never known You. I feared You but I have never, never known You. I am going to take this overdose because I want to come to You face to face to tell You You are a liar. I’ve never ever known You. I don’t want to go to hell, but I’m in hell right now. I am in hell on this earth.’ “I did a line of cocaine and then the telephone started ringing. This is why I believe we need to reach out if we know that we need to speak to somebody.” Phoning was a friend of Llewellyn who got saved not long before. “The phone persisted and I thought I’d just pick it up and put it down, but when I picked it up I put it to my ear and the voice on the other side said, ‘I just want to tell you that I care about you. I just want to tell you that I love you, Llewellyn.’ ‘Yes, yes, yes, thanks,’
I said and put the phone down. Walking from the phone back to the table, I desperately cried to God, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ As my knees hit the floor it felt as if a wind was blowing through the flat. It felt like wind but it washed like water. It was a supernatural experience. I could feel His love. I had never felt anything like that in my entire life. It felt as if His Arms were wrapped around me. He was so close. I just began to cry and sob saying, ‘It’s real; it is real’. “I ran to my parents’ house - they were overseas at the time. I kicked the front door down and grabbed my dad’s Bible – now that I realized God was real I wanted to know more about Him. The Bible teaches that the devil has the ability to blind the eyes of those he controls, and I couldn’t read a thing. My eyes blurred and I couldn’t see anything written there. But I knew something had happened inside of me. Jesus Christ is real and because I had called upon Him He had come and proved to me that He is real. He had washed me.” Hungry for more of God, Llewellyn started listening to his dad’s Bible tapes. At that stage in his life he experienced various health problems due to his addiction. He had irregular sleep patterns, he couldn’t smell any more, his lungs were affected, he had hearing problems, and he had problems with his sinuses. “I used to do cocaine five days in a row and then sleep for two days. I used to do pure cocaine every 15 minutes. It is a miracle that I didn’t die. I had two overdoses previously.” That day, after he had fallen asleep on his parents’ bed, the enemy of his soul tried once more to destroy his life. “The Bible tape ended and clicked off. Suddenly I felt a thick, evil presence in the room. It felt as if all the blood was draining from my body. I couldn’t do a thing; I had no strength in my body. This was a demonic force, standing next to me. It walked even closer, looking down on me, saying, ‘Give me yourself, spirit, soul and body; and I
will give you all that you want. You know that I can.’ The thought that went through my mind was, ‘Don’t fight this thing; don’t fight.’ The demon repeated, ‘Give me yourself, spirit, soul and body; and I will give you all that you want. You know that I can.’ I felt very weak. It seemed as if an overpowering force was holding me to the bed. I had no strength at all, but all of a sudden on the inside of me I felt this warmth. I heard a Voice saying, ‘Just use My Name’. It was on the inside of me, not in my ears or in my head. As I said, ‘In the Name…’ I saw hesitancy in his eyes. When you fight in the street and you see that hesitancy you know you have got it. The demon began to speak faster and repeated the offer. I knew that although it could give me material things, I would never have peace if I gave myself to the demon. At that very instance, the Voice inside of me repeated, ‘Say My Name’. I said, ‘In the Name of Jesus’ and as I said ‘Jesus’, the demon stepped back. I continued, ‘In the Name of Jesus Christ I command you to go.’ It stepped back, turned around and disappeared into blackness.
there is power in His Name. That day, I stood on my parents’ veranda, with three cigarettes left. When you are smoking, you never have only three cigarettes left. If you had, it would mean that you had a new packet somewhere. The Voice on the inside of me said, ‘You have three cigarettes left. Smoke them and enjoy them because they are going to be your last.’ I replied, ‘I love smoking; why can’t I smoke?’ God, on the inside of me, said, ‘I don’t want the devil to have anything in your life; you belong to Me now.’ I realized that I was controlled by nicotine, alcohol and cocaine and I wanted to get rid of it. I stood there, praying, ‘In the Name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke anything evil on the inside of me.’ God delivered me that day and it was as if there was a huge open space inside of me. I felt so clean and fresh and I said, ‘Holy Spirit just fill me; fill me with Your peace and joy. Just take me’. He did and to this day, I have never felt so much peace and joy. These are feelings no drug can give you. I stayed in my room listening to recorded sermons and stayed away from people for about a month.”
“I know that
Then, one day, Llewellyn received a phone call from one of the drug dealers of his past life. They were looking for him, telling him that they needed him. When Llewellyn told him that he had quit using drugs, this person replied, “Llewellyn, you know there is no way out.” Llewellyn knew that this was no idle threat. “I walked into my dad’s study and cried out to God, ‘God, I know You are real. They are going to kill me.’ While I was lying on the floor, crying out to God, asking Him to rescue me, I opened my eyes and I saw this long and narrow road, the road to Calvary. I saw Jesus walking, with His Back ripped to pieces. I could see the bones moving under the skin. The weight of the Cross pushed Him down and when He hit the ground, I heard Him take a deep breath. He pushed Himself to His feet and walked a bit further while blood was pouring from His mouth. Then He hit the
He is my Redeemer. I know
He loves me...” “My relationship with God was something only between Him and me. I had nobody to encourage me – when I got saved people who had been praying for me for 18 years did not believe that it had really happened. But I knew God is real; I knew
23
ground again and I could see His Face marred beyond recognition. As I looked at Him He looked up into my eyes and said, ‘Llewellyn, I’m in so much pain, so much hurt, but I am looking across time and space and I see your pain, your hurt and that is what took Me to Calvary – it is you.’ That moment I realized that He loved me more than anybody else had ever loved me. I realized that it was my pain and His love for me that took Him there. Jesus, the Son of God, died for me. I was such a hopeless person; I hurt so many people; but He loves me and He cares for me.” Llewellyn came from that room a changed person, with the clear realization of God’s personal love for him. “I said, ‘I don’t care if they kill me today; I don’t care if nobody ever believes that I was a Christian; I know that He is my Redeemer. I know He loves me and He died to have a personal relationship with me.’ The realization and understanding of His love for me is what changed everything in my life. 24
“That was seven years ago. God once kept me awake for three days and showed me a vision of Jesus on the Cross, and of hell. I want everybody to know that it is not fear that drives us to God; it is love. We can never love somebody we fear. It is His love that draws us. One of the visions God gave me was of when Jesus died. I came into this hall where a banquet was set. I heard Jesus shout, ‘It is finished.’ I saw the devil and the spirit of death joking around; there was celebration in the air. The spirits of poverty and depression were playing cards; the spirit of fear was wandering around. Suddenly the gates of hell just crushed in. Smoke and dust filled the hall. Then I heard this Voice. And when I saw Him, I saw that His Hair was whiter than wool, whiter than snow. His Face shone like the sun at midday. He was glowing with glory and wonder. He said, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life. I am the First and the Last. I have the keys of death, hell and the grave. Llewellyn, you never have
to fear again. The devil is a defeated foe. I have defeated him. There is no way you have to feel defeated ever again in your life. I’ve taken the keys. I have disarmed him. You are somebody, an heir with Me. I came to give you abundant life.’ “There is never a day when I don’t have peace. I had never thought it was possible to feel the way I do. The peace and joy I have surpass human understanding. I had searched everywhere and I found it in Him. All you have to do is to say, ‘God, I need You.’ I know that He loves me. That is where my faith lies now – in His love. I believe that He loves me. Everything revolves around that. I am the apple of His Eye. “I have peace that is greater than what I have ever felt; you cannot buy that which I am feeling. It is a decision that you have to make; you have to get to know Him and realize that He loves you. The Bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sin. Jesus is real, His Word is real and the peace and joy He has given me are real.”
Llewellyn’s son Llewellyn Jr. is now 25. Llewellyn Sr. is married to Sylvia and they have a daughter named Abigail who is three years old. He is a pastor at the Durban Christian Centre. His passion is evangelism and he testifies at schools and drug rehabilitation centres about the redeeming power of God’s love.
words: retha fick
photography: liezl du preez
SISANDA (23) AND BONNIE (26) had met each other a few years before but only became friends early in 2005. “When I initially met Bonnie,” Sisanda remembers, “I did not have a living relationship with God and wanted to date her purely because I wanted to sleep with her. She didn’t let me, so I gave up and left it there.” Due to their acting careers they would occasionally bump into each other, but that was where it stayed. A few months later, in February 2005, Sisanda re-committed his life to God. “I had given my life to God at the age of 15 but turned my back on Him when I left school in 1999,” he recalls. Emotional hurt from his childhood caused him to suffer from depression and various addictions. In February 2005 a friend he knew from school days invited him to church. “This friend of mine was always happy and always praising the Lord. He had this light on him; I did not know then that it was God’s glory. When I walked into the church that night, after still having a smoke outside, the love of God overwhelmed me. I cried like a baby for about half an hour and I knew that I was experiencing the love of God – love that endures forever. I didn’t know that it was love that I had been looking for all the time. That day I turned to God. The next two times I went to church, I cried continuously. I now know that some kind of healing from deep hurts of the past took place in me.”
28
“The unconditional love of God overwhelmed me” To be a Christian and still be in the same working environment surrounded with the same people wasn’t easy and Sisanda realized that he needed a Christian friend. “Now I was a baby Christian and had a lot of questions about Christianity. I knew Bonnie was a Christian and approached her as someone in the acting industry who knew God and who could be my friend.” Having re-committed her life to Christ in 2001, Bonnie was convinced that she could be used by the Lord to guide and support Sisanda in this new life that he had chosen. Says Sisanda, “She patiently spent time with me, answered my questions and studied the Word with me. Bonnie was a companion for me in this new life.” Sisanda’s acceptance of Jesus as his personal Saviour brought many changes in the way he perceived things. The very first thing that changed was that he wanted to refrain from any sexual relations before marriage. “I learned that anything you are addicted to is like a god and causes you to be unfaithful. The unconditional love of God overwhelmed me. God gave me peace
and comfort. He healed me.” Bonnie’s life’s story is quite similar to Sisanda’s. “I gave my life to God when I was 12 but I did not realize that He loved me with a personal love,” she remembers. “At the age of 17 I rebelled completely. I was angry and very miserable.” At the age of 22, her life marked with fear, rejection, broken relationships and identity problems, she one night desperately cried to God for help. “I told God that I couldn’t live this life any more and that I knew that He was the only one who could help me.” As in Sisanda’s story, a friend played a significant role in Bonnie’s spiritual journey. “I got a job in Cape Town and there I grew very close to my make-up artist who happened to be a Christian. I would see her every morning and evening and she started ministering to me. She invited me to church and for weeks in church I couldn’t pray or sing; I just cried and cried and somehow knew that God knew why I was crying. I felt that there were words in all of that crying and that God understood what I was saying. I gave my life over to Him and vowed never to turn back. It was a hard process to let go of all the things of this life that l had lived for so long. What made it difficult was that I didn’t know the Word of God then. I didn’t know that the Word says I am a new creation and that if I die to myself Christ can live in me and that I don’t have to try on my own to live the Christian life. I thought that I had to do it all by myself and if I failed I would go to hell. I learned that God had redeemed me from the law of sin. I learned that Jesus was dwelling inside of me and His Spirit was my Helper and my Friend. He was there for me, to help me and to catch me each time should I fall. These truths changed my life. I also learned that it is through total and complete obedience that one experiences the things God promises us in His Word. I dedicated myself to staying pure and to obeying God at any cost. If I fall, I repent immediately and get back up again.” Sisanda and Bonnie’s lives had been changed forever by the redeeming love of God. They did not realize then that God’s plan for them was to spend their lives together… In March 2005 Sisanda started planning a trip to the United States. His plan was to work at summer camps, go to a university to study film and end up living in Los Angeles. “That was my ambition. In the meantime Bonnie and I had grown very close as friends. We started developing feelings for each other. Realizing this, our first instinct was to move away from each other because we didn’t want to cross the boundary of platonic friendship. Here I was, planning to go to the States. Things were really happening in Bonnie’s film career and she had to be here in South Africa.” Bonnie smilingly adds, “I told him I wanted a husband and to settle down and that was what I was waiting for, so he obviously wasn’t the guy, as he was heading for America.” Says Sisanda,
“She mentioned kids in the same sentence and I said, No way!” Not being able to picture each other in their respective views of the future, they decided to part. After two days, though, Sisanda phoned her again, telling her, “I know what we said, but could we see each other one last time?” When this happened for the third time, they decided to pray about their being together. “We figured that the Lord had brought us together for some reason, and decided to leave it in His Hands. Whatever this relationship was or was meant to be was now in God’s Hands,” says Sisanda. “This is when things started to change,” adds Bonnie. “After we had prayed, it was as if we were taken out of the picture and God came in and took over. Everything happened very quickly.” Within two weeks they knew that they were meant for each other and were going to get married. Sisanda explains, “We decided to ask for Christian advice and made an appointment with our pastor.” Bonnie continues, “She asked me directly, ‘Is this your husband?’ and added, ‘I think you know.’ She was right; I knew. I recalled the day when I knew, about two months before that. We had gone to a park with Sisanda’s little nephew and it was almost as if God took a picture of that moment and said to me, ‘This is your husband’. I thought it was just my own thoughts, but when I remembered that moment, I knew. Sisanda wasn’t yet sure, though, and our pastor said that he should ask the Lord whether I am his wife or not and that he should know before leaving for the States. I wasn’t going to influence him, so I just left it there.” In the meantime, every time they prayed and worshipped together they had visitations from God. Sisanda recalls, “One day when we were together, the presence of God hit me and I started crying like a baby. I knew at this point that nothing like this had ever happened to me. The bond that was developing between Bonnie and me was a bond like no other before – this is when the Lord bonds two people spiritually first.” Bonnie continues, “Every time we were together the Spirit would reveal Himself in ways we never experienced on our own either, as if He was assuring us that our being together was, if anything, not wrong.” A picture taken of Sisanda and Bonnie at a première of a film and published in the Cape Argus, brought Sisanda some clarity. For some reason, Sisanda’s father took this picture from the paper and put it into a frame, though he never had met Bonnie before. This was significant to Sisanda. Then one day while Bonnie and Sisanda were together, the Lord said to them simultaneously but individually, “There will be more pictures of the two of you together.” Says Sisanda, “I knew this couldn’t happen if Bonnie was not my wife. But I still wasn’t sure and prayed, because I wanted to know without a doubt.” Before Sisanda left for the
United States, he came back from the Eastern Cape where he had visited his parents. “I picked him up from the airport,” Bonnie remembers. “When he greeted me, he said he needed to tell me something. He then told me for the first time that he loved me. And for the first time in my life, I believed the words I love you with everything in me. I had come to think that I love you is just something people say, it’s just feelings, but when he said those words, it was as if it filled my entire being. It filled my heart and everything in me. I just knew that he did love me.”
“Every day I went through a healing process” Then before Sisanda left for the States for three months he asked Bonnie to ask God for a wedding date. “He told me, ‘Please pray and ask God for a wedding date for us.’ I had never had such intimacy with God that I could ask Him for specific things like a date, but I asked Him. Three days later I was waking up one morning and in that bridge between sleeping and waking up I heard this Voice that was unmistakably God: ‘Your wedding date is the 17th of December.’ ” In the US, Sisanda grew very close to God. “It was a difficult time and emotionally demanding, but God revealed Himself to me and taught me lessons that I needed to learn. He renewed my heart and mind.” Sisanda worked with very poor children from challenging backgrounds who needed a lot of love. Bonnie remarks, “I believe that I was like one of those kids; I had issues with love and acceptance and security. I had a hard life and a difficult childhood and had to grow up quickly. I believe God sent Sisanda to work with those kids to show him how to love me. He needed some kind of insight and preparation for a life with me.” “To walk in love the whole day while working with these children”, Sisanda explains, “you have to die in the flesh first, before you can love in the Spirit.” Meanwhile God was busy working in Bonnie’s life as well. “I had always thought that God would only bring you a husband when you were perfect. When I realized that Sisanda and I were going to get married and I was going to be his wife, I knew I was far from the right material. God used our time apart. Every day I went through a healing process. By the time he got back, I was not the same person that he left in South Africa. I had missed him terribly, but I knew it was necessary.”
29
HOW GOD INSPIRED THE MAKING OF THEIR RINGS Sisanda and Bonnie asked Lindie to design their rings. This is how it happened: “When Sisanda and Bonnie asked me to design their rings, I had no idea who they were. I did not know their past and only came to learn of their lives when we did the article.
BONNIE’S RING
“I recall the day Sisanda phoned me. It was a young voice on the other side of the line and he said: ‘I saw in one of the MY World issues that you design jewellery. I would like you to design my fiancée’s ring. It must be something that God wants for her.’ We made an appointment and Sisanda could not make the meeting, so Bonnie and her pastor came to meet with me. I did not know who to expect and I did not know who Bonnie was. But as she walked in I recognized her from somewhere. I could not remember from where, nor did I ask her. We spent three hours together, talking about God and praying. Then Bonnie just said, ‘I don’t even want to see the design; I know God will reveal it to you.’ As they left I remembered where I had seen Bonnie before. I had seen her four years before, only once, on a television show. This woman’s humble spirit was beautiful. “I just prayed and asked God that if He had sent Bonnie, who loves Him very deeply, to me to design a ring for her, He would place His design in my spirit. One evening as I was drifting off to sleep, I saw a clear vision of Bonnie’s ring. It was pure platinum. Set in a crown was a yellow stone. The little claws of the crown were unique – never before had I seen any ring set in such a way. It looked like a princess’s crown. All in all, the ring consisted of three separate bands. Yet when the engagement ring and two wedding bands were together they fitted into each other and looked like one complete ring. (The edges were not all rounded so that the three bands completely fitted into one another.) I drew the ring. I showed the design to Sisanda but not to Bonnie. To her I briefly explained over the phone what the Lord had shown me. Little did I know that Sisanda calls Bonnie ‘My Princess’, that Bonnie’s favourite colour is yellow, that she often wears yellow and that one of the colours of the wedding was yellow. “There is special meaning to every detail of Bonnie’s ring: -
SISANDA’S RING
The yellow stone: Their marriage will reflect the glory of God; The crown: Bonnie is a princess in the eyes of God; The three claws: This resembles their unity in Christ; The main claw facing to the front resembles God and the two claws at the bottom resembles the two of them, following Him; - The three separate bands: The engagement ring is God; the two separate wedding bands on both sides of the engagement ring resemble Sisanda and Bonnie with Him in the centre.
“After I had met with Bonnie to discuss her ring, she asked me to also design Sisanda’s ring. I prayed about it and one evening, while sitting at my desk in my study, I saw his ring. I quickly drew it and shared it with my team the next morning. I said to them that the word God had given me for Sisanda was that he had to move from his old life into his new life, by the Spirit of God. “Sisanda came to see me but did not want to see the design of his ring. I invited our photographer Liezl into the meeting with me. Sisanda started to witness how the Lord was dealing with him concerning baptism in the Holy Spirit and that he needed to move from his old life into his new life. He said recently on an aeroplane trip, a stranger who was a pastor said to him that God was telling him Sisanda should be baptized from his old life into his new life. When he mentioned that to me, both Liezl and I were astonished. I then told Sisanda what the Lord had shown me for him. “One side of the ring was shining platinum; the other side was sandblasted. In the centre of the two sides was a band in the shape of an ‘S’, resembling the Holy Spirit separating the old and the new life. “With each ring I design, I ask God to give the person a word from His Heart. Through the designing of their rings and God’s words to them both, He confirmed certain things He had spoken to them through prophecy previously. “This is a testimony of how, when we surrender all to God, He will use us as willing vessels to accomplish His plans, design and purposes for our lives. We need to be obedient, sometimes put our own preconceived ideas aside, fully trust Him and He will do the rest. Sisanda and Bonnie’s faith in God to provide His rings for them, touched me very deeply. We should trust Him like that for everything in life.”
“Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘I am going to come to you in a thick cloud so the people themselves can hear Me as I speak to you...’ “Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go down and prepare the people for My visit. Purify them today and tomorrow and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch.’ ...All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire.” (Taken from Exodus 19)
God spoke through a cloud on a mountain, caused by a fire... The photo is published by courtesy of Paarl Post. The mountain fires in
the
Western
Cape
area
over
December 2005 were fierce. I did not take a photo from where I was, but
somebody
took
this
photo
elsewhere from a distance. It was not
taken
fires.
at
the
height
of
the
DURING DECEMBER 2005 and January 2006 God spoke to me through nature, a set of events and His Word. With the utmost reverence to Him and to how He spoke to me, I share this with you. “SEPARATE AND PURIFY YOURSELVES TO WORSHIP ME… FOR IN DOING THAT, KNOW THIS: THE PREPARATION OF THE BRIDE HAS BEGUN!” In December 2005 the Western Cape experienced severe fires and many acres of land were destroyed. In the midst of this destruction, God had orchestrated for me to be in Stellenbosch during that time. I was on a retreat at the hydro at the foot of a mountain, spending much time in God’s Word. Before I left, my words to my colleagues had been, “I am so hungry for more of God; this December I want to eat of His Word!” My pastor had said to me that God was going to speak to me through nature. God had spoken to me through nature before, yet I definitely did not think that He would speak to me through a cloud of smoke caused by a fire, on a mountain in the Western Cape. As I desired to spend much time in God’s Word, I bought an Audio Bible – the New Living Translation Bible on CD. I had decided that I was going to listen to this while simultaneously following in reading the chapters. I also read the book Finding Favor with the King by Tommy Tenney. On the morning of the 27th of December 2005 I was listening to and reading Exodus 19. The following section stood out: “Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘I am going to come to you in a thick cloud so the people themselves can hear Me as I speak to you…’ Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go down and prepare the people for My visit. Purify them today and tomorrow and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch.’… He told them, ‘Get ready for an important event two days from now.’… All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire.” I knew that it carried significance, but exactly what it was, I wasn’t sure. I listened to chapter 19 again the evening and on the morning of the 28th of December, I spoke to one of the managers at the hydro, a
woman by the name of Renée. She is also a daughter of God. I read this section of Exodus 19 to her and shared with her that I believe God is calling us higher and into a pure and holy walk with Him and that we could not compromise. I also told her that the Lord had spoken to me through steam in the pool area the morning. I told her that the steam had blanketed like a cloud around me and that it was confirmation to me that I would continuously be surrounded by the presence of God in 2006, much like a cloud around me. On that day, the 28th of December, I received three SMS’s from independent acquaintances of mine, stating that God was going to be like a cloud around me this coming year. Needless to say, I was in awe. On the morning of the 29th of December, as I came down to the lounge area at the hydro, the smell of smoke in the air was quite overpowering. Through the lounge window I saw billowing clouds of smoke covering the mountain and moving over the hydro like a blanket. I had no idea where this smoke was coming from. In a sense it was a frightening sight. As I was taking a complete break and having a good rest, I had not been watching the news on television nor reading any newspapers so I was unaware of the raging fires in the Western Cape area. The staff at the hydro informed us of severe fires within the Franschoek area, which had been spreading towards Stellenbosch. That day, the newspaper reporters said that Stellenbosch was under threat. Being at the hydro at the foot of the mountain, so close to the raging fires and billowing smoke, was quite an experience and one that I was privileged to be part of, as it was here that God spoke to me through nature. That day the cloud of smoke, caused by a fire, rested on the hydro premises the entire day. The smell of the smoke and the soot was intense and lasted the whole day. The smoke was even visible in the passageways of the accommodation and treatment wings. That night I could not sleep. The smoke was still thick and my nasal passages were burning. I got up and started listening to the Audio Bible. As I started the CD, I must have pushed
the rewind button and the CD started on Exodus 19. It was then when the proverbial penny dropped. At that moment the Holy Spirit spoke to me. I counted back to the 27th of December when I heard chapter 19 for the first time. The 29th of December was the third day, and it was on the morning of the third day that the cloud of smoke rested on Stellenbosch Hydro, at the foot of the mountain. I include Exodus 19. Read it with me. God’s Word speaks so clearly. EXODUS 19 THE LORD REVEALS HIMSELF AT SINAI “The Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sinai exactly two months after they left Egypt. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base of Mount Sinai and set up camp here. “Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called out to him from the mountain and said, ‘Give these instructions to the descendants of Jacob, the people of Israel. “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I brought you to Myself and carried you on eagle’s wings. Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests, My holy nation.” Give this message to the Israelites.’ “Moses returned from the mountain and called together the leaders of the people and told them what the Lord had said. They all responded together, ‘We will certainly do everything the Lord asks of us.’ So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to come to you in a thick cloud so the people themselves can hear Me as I speak to you. Then they will always have confidence in you.’ “Moses told the Lord what the people had said. Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go down and prepare the people for My visit. Purify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Set boundary
lines that the people may not pass. Warn them, “Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Those who do will certainly die! Any people or animals that cross the boundary must be stoned to death or shot with arrows. They must not be touched by human hands.” The people must stay away from the mountain until they hear one long blast from the ram’s horn. Then they must gather at the foot of the mountain.’ “So Moses went down to the people. He purified them for worship and had them wash their clothing. He told them, ‘Get ready for an important event two days from now. And until then, abstain from having sexual intercourse.’ “On the morning of the third day, there was a powerful thunder and lightning storm, and a dense cloud came down upon the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from the ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. As the horn blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered His reply for all to hear. The Lord came down on the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain. “Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go back down and warn the people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to see the Lord, for those who do will die. Even the priests who regularly come near to the Lord must purify themselves, or I will destroy them.’ “‘But, Lord, the people cannot come up on the mountain!’ Moses protested. ‘You already told them not to. You told me to set boundaries around the mountain and to declare it off limits.’ “But the Lord said, ‘Go down anyway and bring Aaron back with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people cross the boundaries to come up here. If they do, I will punish them.’ So Moses went down to the people and told them what the Lord had said.” That night, the night of the 29th of December 2005, I could not sleep. After listening to this
section of Scripture again and realizing how God had prepared me three days prior to this event, and what He was ministering to me at that very moment, I could only worship and pray until approximately half past four on the morning of the 30th of December 2005. That morning I firstly went to share my experience with Renée as I had shared Exodus 19 with her prior to the 29th. When she saw me on the morning of the 30th, her first comment was that it looked as if I had had a wonderful night’s rest. I told her that I had spent time in the presence of the King! Although the Scripture in Exodus 19 spoke to me clearly, and my experience with God at the foot of and on the mountain in Stellenbosch was life-changing, I knew that God had not yet given me this message in its fullness and that I just had to push through into His presence. During the following days of my stay I continued in the Book of Exodus. It was in Exodus 20:20 and Exodus 24 that the Lord spoke to me again. Exodus 20:20: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ Moses said, ‘for God has come in this way to show you His awesome power. From now on, let your fear of Him keep you from sinning!’” In Exodus 24 Israel accepts the Lord’s Covenant. EXODUS 24 “Then the Lord instructed Moses: ‘Come up here to Me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s leaders. All of them must worship at a distance. You alone, Moses, are allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come too close. And remember, none of the other people are allowed to climb on the mountain at all.’
bulls as burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. Moses took half the blood from these animals and drew it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar. “Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They all responded again, ‘We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.’ “Then Moses sprinkled the blood from the basins over the people and said, ‘This blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws.’ “Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under His Feet there seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire, as clear as the heavens. And though Israel’s leaders saw God, He did not destroy them. In fact, they shared a meal together in God’s presence! “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain. Stay there while I give you the tablets of stone that I have inscribed with My instructions and commands. Then you will teach the people from them.’ So Moses and his assistant Joshua climbed up the mountain of God. “Moses told the leaders, ‘Stay here and wait for us until we come back. If there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur, who are here with you.’
“When Moses had announced to the people all the teachings and regulations the Lord had given him, they answered in unison, ‘We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.’
“Then Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glorious Presence of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud. The Israelites at the foot of the mountain saw an awesome sight. The awesome glory of the Lord of the mountain top looked like a devouring fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”
“Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars around the altar, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice young
Although the Scripture passage I received from God was from the Old Testament, through the experience I had, I received a clear word from God, which He was about to confirm and expand to me through Scripture in the New Testament.
But firstly I am giving a summary of Exodus 19, 20 and 24, the relevance of which will be emphasized in Hebrews 12 and Titus. God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai to tell the people of Israel that if they would obey God and keep His Covenant, they would be a special treasure to God above all people, and they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The people of Israel accepted everything the Lord had said they should do. Moses kept going higher up the mountain to speak to God and to hear from Him. There God told Moses to prepare the people through purifying them for worship, as God would visit them. The people of Israel agreed to do all that the Lord had said. He set clear boundaries for the people not to pass and He specifically warned the priests who regularly came near to Him, to purify themselves. He warned them that should they cross those boundary lines, He would punish them. Thereafter, God called Moses and Aaron up even higher. God gave the people the Ten Commandments and clear instructions concerning their lifestyles. (Exodus 20-23.) He promised His Presence and victory to the Israelites. (Exodus 23:20-32.) Then Israel accepted the Covenant of God and although God had warned the people not to come near the mountain, He allowed those leaders (70 of them) together with Moses and a selected few, to go up to the mountain. Although they saw Him, He did not destroy them. Instead, He was gracious towards them and shared a meal with them. He then called Moses up higher and gave him instructions: “I want the people of Israel to build me a sacred residence where I can live among them” (Exodus 25:8). Although God spoke in a way that caused the Israelites to tremble with fear – through thunder, smoke and fire – He was gracious and allowed the leaders, Moses and a selected few to see Him and to live. That He even shared a meal with them, shows how much He wanted to be with His people. God called His people, with great emphasis on
the priests (leaders) into a walk of absolute purity. They could no longer come into His presence where they regularly ministered to Him if they were not purified and made holy. He called His people into obedience, separation, physical and spiritual purity and holiness.
now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the One who mediates the New Covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did.
Back in Gauteng I continued to pray earnestly about this word as it is a very strong word of warning from God to us. I asked God to give me Scripture in the New Testament relating to what I had received from the Old Testament (Exodus) so that, through the Holy Spirit, He would give me clear perspective and insight into the word of purity and holiness and how it related to you and me in this age.
“See to it that you obey God, the One who is speaking to you. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, how terrible our danger if we reject the One who speaks to us from Heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the earth, but now He makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’ This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left.
These are the Scripture passages I received from God: HEBREWS 12:14-29 “Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you will miss out on the special favour of God. Watch out that no bitter root of unbelief rises up among you, for whenever it springs up, many are corrupted by its poison. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau. He traded his birthright as the oldest son for a single meal. And afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he wept bitter tears. “You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai when God gave them His laws. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice with a message too terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. They staggered back under God’s command: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.’ Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, ‘I am terrified and trembling.’ “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in joyful assembly. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is the Judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have
“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshipping Him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.” I then received the following passage from Titus: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you” (Titus 2:11-15). I then understood what God had been saying to me through Exodus 19, 20, 24 and now Hebrews 12 and Titus 2. I understood why I had to buy the Audio Bible, why I had to listen to Exodus 19 on the 27th of December 2005, why I had to be in Stellenbosch on the 29th of December 2005 to experience the intense smoke caused by a fire. I understood what God was saying! A month later, on Sunday the 29th of January 2006, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke the following words repeatedly in my spirit: “The preparation of the Bride has begun! The preparation of the Bride has begun!” Now the word God had given me since December 2005 was complete: “Separate and purify yourselves to worship Me…for in doing that,
know this: The preparation of the Bride has begun!” One thing I do know and of which I am very certain, is that God’s Word is consistent. It endures throughout all ages and speaks in this day with great relevance if we will just receive and obey. I believe that God is saying the following to His people and His church: 1. We are being called into a pure and holy walk in preparation of one of the most significant spiritual events and visitations from God, the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. As He visited the Israelites in the Book of Exodus at Mount Sinai, He says to us in Hebrews 12 that we have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the New Jerusalem where we have free access because of Jesus. We have not been set boundary lines but through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and through His Blood we can come freely. However God says that we must come pure and holy, because if we do not we will not see Him. 2. He is calling us, His leaders and those who stand in a responsible spiritual position within the church to become humble, not to think that we have preferential access to Him but to be very careful not to regularly come and worship Him without coming pure (as the warning went out to the leaders in Exodus 19). It brings to mind Jesus’ words in Luke 12:48, “… Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” As leaders we have to assess ourselves, watch within our own lives and hearts. We must worship God in a holy way, because He is holy. We may only allow the uncompromising, pure Word of God, to be spoken and to be given with humility and sincere motives. 3. We are urged to set our minds on things above, as these are the things of Heaven, eternal life and these are the only things that will remain standing. 4. Although we have received the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, and although we do not hear God speak to us in such a fierce way in this day and age as did the Israelites at the foot Mount Sinai, where they greatly feared and trembled, we should never forget that the
God of the Old Testament is still the God of the New Testament and is still the God of today. We read in Exodus 20:20, “‘Don’t be afraid,’ Moses said, ‘for God has come in this way to show you His awesome power. From now on, let your fear of Him keep you from sinning!’” The same still applies today as we read in Hebrews 12:28, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with Holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.” We may not take God’s grace for granted; we need to understand His full nature and come with respect (fear of God) and awe to worship Him. 5. God said to the Israelites in Exodus 19 that they would be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, if they obeyed Him. “‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I brought you to Myself and carried you on eagle’s wings. Now if you will obey Me and keep My Covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests, My holy nation.’ Give this message to the Israelites” (Exodus 19:4-6). Today He is saying to us through Titus 2, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you” (Titus 2:11-15). He is raising up a group of people, zealous for Him. With them God will live! AS GOD‘S CHILDREN, WHAT SHOULD WE DO? We have to watch and pray! Mark 13:33 says, “Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is.” Through God’s Word and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He shows us the things in our hearts that are unpleasing to Him. “For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our
innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are” (Hebrews 4:12). “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:13-16). We have to obey when He says to lay certain things down, to “wash our clothes”, to come clean! The people of Israel said in Exodus 20, “We will certainly do everything the Lord asks of us.” That should be our reply. As the Holy Spirit starts working in our lives, discerning the intents of our hearts, we should obey. We have a choice and a great responsibility. God’s Word says in John 4:23 that He is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We need to be physically and spiritually cleansed, purified to go into His Presence to worship. For this is part of the preparation of the Bride… in preparation of eternal life with Jesus. “When God spoke from Mount Sinai His voice shook the earth, but now He makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’ This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left. “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be destroyed, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:26-29). “’Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’ ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’ Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18). “SEPARATE AND PURIFY YOURSELVES TO WORSHIP ME… FOR IN THAT, KNOW THIS: THE PREPARATION OF THE BRIDE HAS BEGUN!”
photography: liezl du preez
Western Cape - Faith
fruit Northern Cape - Love
photography: liezl du preez
Free State - Peace
4
Eastern Cape - Gentleness
Gauteng - Patience North West - Kindness Mpumalanga - Self-Control
Limpopo - Joy
thought
Kwa-Zulu Natal - Goodness
HUMILITY
JOY AND PATIENCE
PATIENCE AND KINDNESS
words: julie vlok
words: erna horn
words: retha fick
My friend visited me and insisted that I
When I was busy mowing my lawn one day, a
On a very hot Friday afternoon, Liezl and I
should have some of the lovely quiche she
man walked up to me and asked to be
were travelling through the vast landscape of
had brought. She said to me, “Julie, we
employed. I was more than willing to hand over
the North West province, each busy with our
must enjoy this quiche because it was a real peace offering.” When I enquired, she told me the quiche’s inspiring history.
my work, but before I could do so, he said that there was one problem – due to an accident he had only one arm.
own thoughts and looking forward to a well-deserved weekend. We were on our way back from Kathu where we had interviewed
I felt a little disappointed, but he assured me
people for an article.
She ordered a quiche at a bakery the previ-
that he would manage – and to my utter
ous day while she was on her way to buy a
amazement he did, perfectly. Although it took
Some 10 km before Delareyville, when the
few things for her visit to me. When she
him twice as long – stopping the lawnmower,
temperature gauge indicated that the car was
came back to fetch the quiche, the lady told her they had not baked it. When she enquired as to the reason, she was simply told that they did not have her telephone
removing the wire, continuing up to the next row where he had to repeat the procedure – he carried on and on. Watching him through the
overheating, we felt rather discouraged.
window, I was touched by a beautiful example
A garage attendant in Delareyville confirmed
of joy and patience.
our fears that something was wrong. Great was our relief, though, when the next moment, a
number. Astounded and quite upset, she told the lady she would never order
The
unexpected
man appeared from around the corner. Hennie
anything from them again and marched out
happened – he shared with me the good news
van Deventer has a workshop behind that
of the shop. While still in the shopping mall, she felt the Holy Spirit nudging her
other
day
something
of having received a substantial amount as compensation for the injury. While I struggled with the sad idea of saying goodbye, he
garage. Even while another breakdown out of town demanded his attention, he patiently
struggled to put his empty sleeve into his
found the cause of our problem and replaced
shop and asked to be forgiven for her
pocket – a sign that he was preparing for work.
the faulty spare part. When the replaced part
terrible behaviour. The lady looked at her
I couldn’t believe that he would still consider
turned out to be faulty as well, he hunted
and suddenly threw her arms around my
working in a garden, having received such an
down another one and started all over again.
friend and said she was sorry too! My friend
amount. He noticed my confusion and
about the incident. She returned to the
took a quiche from the shelf and wanted to pay for it, which was when that quiche was given to her as a peace offering.
responded, “I can’t just sit around without doing anything. And besides, I want to save the money for my children to study.” I believe Paul referred to people like my
Well, we really enjoyed the peace offering
gardener with one arm when he said in Romans
and my friend will certainly go back there
5:3, “...because we know how troubles can
as she has made a new friend.
develop passionate patience in us...”
Three and a half hours later we were happily on the road again, thanks to one kind and patient man.
41
With the vast Kalahari region of the Northern Cape Province as its backdrop, the small town of Kathu is emerging as a beacon, not only in the scenes of business and mining, but also in the spiritual landscape. God is uncompromisingly served in Kathu – and the effects are widespread. Continuous, faithful prayer is considered by many to be a fundamental element in the workings of the Holy Spirit in this place.
38
KATHU IS ALSO known as “the town under the trees” as it has been developed in South Africa’s only camel-thorn tree forest. This small town was established as recently as 1973, mainly to house mine workers. Some seven km out of town, the Sishen mine is still the pivot on which everything turns today. The mine is one of the five largest opencast iron ore mining operations in the world and South Africa’s largest open pit mine. It currently offers an income to close to 5000 people and plans for the expansion of the mine in the near future promise more progress and opportunity. Kathu is experiencing an unprecedented period of blossoming. A few years ago the mine experienced a very trying period during which accidents took the lives of seven people in the scope of nine months. The mine’s management battled to find an explanation for these very unfortunate incidents. Some born-again Christians realized if Jonah and Esther could make a difference for God, surely they could do the same. They boldly approached the manager of the mine with a suggestion for mine workers and management to come corporately before God, to humble themselves and to confess that they trust in Him only for their safety. Management consented and this was the birth of Thanksgiving Day, now an annual event on the mine’s calendar. On this day, about 90 per cent of the mine’s around-the-clock production stops for several hours. Time is spent in God’s presence to acknowledge His provision, to thank Him for the iron ore and their safety and to ask His favour and blessing for the future. God has honoured this act – the mine recently celebrated the achievement of three million man-hours without any serious injuries. This achievement was celebrated with much joy and gratefulness as it was considered a direct result of trusting in God. In 1996 a desire to do something for God started to grow in Elzana Buckle and Ronel van Vuuren’s hearts. They decided to meet once a week, on Saturday nights from 03:00 to daybreak, to pray. Through the years more people joined them in prayer. Groups of people, mostly beyond denominational borders, gathered regularly to pray for the community, the Northern Cape Province and South Africa. In 2002 they officially introduced an interdenominational prayer watch. For a three-week period every month, 24 hours of the day, you will find someone praying in Kathu’s prayer house in Vlamboom Street. The objective for 2006 is to work towards a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week prayer watch. What started as an initiative for Kathu only, has expanded to other Northern Cape Province towns. Elzana and Ronel travelled to these towns to inspire and mobilize people to pray. Towns such as Kuruman, Daniëlskuil, Lime Acres and Upington are now part of a bigger prayer network. “Our advice to intercessors is, Don’t
stop. Even when you feel tired and discouraged, keep on praying,” says Elzana. Through the years they experienced numerous answers to prayer. Elzana and Ronel often prayed and fasted for access to a Christian TV channel or radio station. Because of the remoteness of the town, Kathu’s residents had been unable to pick up a signal. Recently the mine, as owner of certain senders, provided the people in Kathu with free access to God TV. The fact that Kathu is such a young town has important spiritual significance, according to intercessors. “Where the influence of tradition and sins from previous generations form a major obstacle in older towns, we did not have to pray that hard against these for breakthroughs to occur,” says Elzana. Ronel agrees, “Since we started praying, there has been much more spiritual light in our town. We experience that people are more aware of God and hungry for Him.” Morné Strauss, a spiritual worker at High School Kathu, can hardly contain his excitement about what God is doing in Kathu. “In the past few years God has drawn His children in Kathu closer to Him. There is a deeper spiritual dimension to discipleship in the school. The young people’s desire for more of God has grown stronger. I believe the only explanation is prayer.” An hour-long Christian gathering is part of the school’s schedule every Thursday morning. Young people recently expressed the desire for a place on the school’s premises to pray. As a result, a prayer room or “boiler room” now exists beneath the stage of the school hall where young people gather to seek God’s face. Many prayers through the years have been directed towards church unity. Various interdenominational initiatives brought believers from different denominations closer to one another. “In Kathu people do not ask which church you attend,” says Ronel. Spiritual leaders from different denominations gather once a month to pray and plan together. Every Wednesday during lunch hour, church leaders take turns to reach out to businesses, bringing the Word of God in what they call “industrial ministry”. Mining activities cause many people (for example contract workers and craftsmen) from elsewhere to pass through Kathu and believers are well aware of the opportunities for these visitors to meet Jesus in Kathu. In this place from which iron ore is exported to many parts of the world believers are praying for people to be touched by God in such a way that they will spread His love to the ends of the earth.
43 39
p y “I have put my faith in God; He gives me the strength and courage to do everything and through Him all is possible.� Gabriel
Financial Unit y
46
part two Unit y in business words: myles sinclair
photography: liezl du preez
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore” (Psalm 133). IN THIS ISSUE we would like to look at unity in the workplace – firstly among business partners, then among colleagues, and finally between management and staff.
WHAT IS UNITY? The thesaurus uses the words agreement, unanimity, harmony, accord, unison and union as alternatives to unity. To have a business where there is unanimity or agreement in the workplace all the time sounds great, doesn’t it? In reality, though, this is not likely to happen. In fact it has been said that if two of us think identically, then one of us is not needed! Scripture contains ample examples of people who did not think alike, not always being in agreement. However, they resolved their differences to achieve harmony. That is the important issue. In Acts 15:36-40 we read that Paul felt betrayed by John Mark. This was after Barnabas, John Mark and Paul had finished the first missionary journey together. Paul and Barnabas then had such a disagreement about John Mark that they parted company and went separate ways. Later when Paul wrote to the Colossians while in prison, he had clearly reconciled his differences with John Mark. (Colossians 4:10.) By the end of his ministry we read in 2 Timothy 4:11 that Paul is asking for John Mark by name! In Galatians 2:14 we see
that Paul did not always agree with the Apostle Peter. Yet he spoke the truth in love and did not let this affect their respective ministry focus. They were able to continue with the more important issues of the Gospel.
UNITY BETWEEN BUSINESS PARTNERS Many of the disagreements between business partners stem from a difference in values. If these had been detected earlier they could have been dealt with unemotionally. Here are some good value-based questions to ask your prospective or existing business partners. 1. What is the primary purpose of this business? What is the secondary and tertiary purpose? Since God owns everything (1 Chronicles 29:11, 12) it could be argued that the primary purpose of a business is to honour and glorify Him. You or your business partners may not be at this place yet, but it is important that there is agreement or at least understanding on what each of you believe is the purpose of the business. Your mission, vision and purpose statements should really be a source of guidance to steer you when things become uncertain. They should provide you with objective and very useful answers.
2. What is your opinion with regard to hours, leave, family and other commitments, deadlines etc? If most of your colleagues are unmarried, young and motivated and you are more mature and married with young children, then there is a potential for a very divisive difference of opinion especially if the business goes through tough or very good times financially. 3. What is your opinion about legal action? 47
For example, should legal action be taken to collect debt or to defend oneself against angry customers? 4. What is your opinion about selling the company? Is there an exit strategy? What if one partner wants to or needs to exit? How will their share be valued? How will it be paid for? What if one partner dies – will the surviving spouse take over or be paid out for the share of business? 5. What is your opinion on tithing from a business? Should a business be giving to charity? If so, how much and using what criteria? 6. Who makes the final decision? Where this question has not been properly
resolved, conflict could arise when a difficult decision needs to be made. Sort out this issue and many other issues fall away.
48
In this regard we need to point out that an equal partnership or 50:50 partnership has the potential to give rise to problems. As the partners hold equal shares, there is no mechanism for breaking a deadlock or solving a disagreement. If you are frequently disagreeing with your business partner and no decision can be made, why don’t you give him / her one of your shares? That way you will give them the final say. It’s likely that when they are given the responsibility of making the final decision, that they will consult carefully with you. If the decision is wrong then they will have to be accountable for their mistake. Either way you both grow from the experience. If you are the one who has the final say, remember Phillipians 2:3-4: “Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” 7. Before we sign this agreement, is there anything I should know that could cause embarrassment? Think of the depth of this question. Hopefully the person being asked will realize that this is the time to be completely and deeply honest; that it is necessary to consider exactly how much is needed to share. How deep should the answer be? How far back should one go? Should the answer be limited to business issues or should it also involve one’s attitude at home or on the sport field? Does the asker want to know what one does and thinks behind closed doors? This question can be really explored and it should provide some very good insight into
the other person, which could save you a lot of heartache. Discussing these questions will not prevent disagreement but will help you avoid some of the pitfalls that cause problems. It is furthermore important to record your ideas, thoughts and intentions in writing. Our memories cannot be depended upon to record our intentions especially if others are involved. When your decision is recorded and reviewed by all the parties involved, you will more than likely find that adjustments will be required. It could, for instance, be that the meaning was not reflected correctly, or you might realize that your partners do not share your understanding. This may seem obvious, but so many businesses trip up because they have not recorded important things. In conclusion, remember that Psalm 127:1 applies to all our endeavours: “If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless; if the Lord does not protect the city, it does no good for the sentries to stand guard. It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the Lord provides for those He loves, while they are asleep.”
UNITY AMONG COLLEAGUES Lou Tice, founder of The Pacific Institute, has said, “We all act and behave in accordance with the truth, as we perceive or believe it to be.” Let us explore the meaning of this simple but profound phrase. The mind works in pictures. These pictures are our views, opinions and beliefs of the truth. It is these pictures that govern our actions and behaviour, which in turn affect the outcomes we experience. These pictures are formed or created by many things like our past experiences, our
learned experiences through interaction with others, our belief system, our culture etc. Regardless of how we formed a picture, that picture is stored within our memories for later retrieval, comparison and evaluation. The mind and emotions therefore do not really distinguish between reality and perception. They respond to both. What does this have to do with unity at the office with our colleagues? Our feeling toward or emotions about a colleague is usually based on our perception, and not necessarily reality. Sometimes it is only our perceptions that determine how we interpret a situation. Some years ago at work we had a rule that the last person to leave the building should turn the lights off and lock up. After several mornings of opening up the premises and finding that lights had been burning all night, I decided to raise the issue with the staff. Instead of trying to find out who the culprit was, I wanted to show the team how their perception (picture) would change their interpretation of the situation. So I asked them what they would think if they knew that a certain one of their colleagues who was well-liked and generally thought of as hard-working, was the last one to leave. Generally the responses were, “He probably intended coming back later to finish some work,” or, “Maybe he thought one of us was coming back and left the lights on to make it easier for us”. When I asked what they thought if they knew another, less popular, colleague was the last to leave their response was somewhat different. There was more anger, more irritation. “He’s so lazy, he could not be bothered,” was a typical response. I used the opportunity to show them how they had so quickly boxed and labeled their colleagues and that the less
popular colleague might actually have had good intentions. Think about how you have so easily put a filter on that paints some people in a negative light all the time. If there is to be unity and blessing because of you, you need to change your way of thinking.
...remember it is
Paul obviously knew that to live at peace with all men (Romans 12:18: “Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody”) required us to believe the best in them. This is the characteristic of love described in 1 Corinthians 13:7: “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” So from now on, believe the best in all colleagues, hoping all the time that any bad ways will change.
actually Christ
UNITY BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND STAFF
whom you are serving
For an organization to be effective and achieve the potential it has, there must be a clear purpose or vision and there must be communication. As these two ingredients are often missing, many organizations are not able to enjoy the blessing that God gives to those walking in unity.
Sometimes our experience of people at our place of work is so bad, so negative that it is really difficult to think decent thoughts of them. Here’s what Paul instructs us to do. “Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for people. You know that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance as a reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you are serving!” (Colossians 3:23-24). When the picture you have of a colleague or a situation at work is bad, remember it is actually Christ whom you are serving. Imagine Him being the One you are giving the report to or the One who asks you to stay and finish a job. If it is a colleague being nasty, unhelpful or rude then imagine that Jesus has asked you not to retaliate, but to pray about it. If you do this you will begin to replace the poor, negative picture with an empowering one. Would you really grumble if Christ asked you to do that inconvenient thing? Would you mutter at anything Christ asked you to do? Of course you would not. So start picturing Christ asking you and not your boss or colleague.
Even with a vision in place, some companies may find unity evading them. One of the reasons could be communication. So many times I have heard leaders say “but I told him what the vision was” or “they have read the strategic document”. What is not recognized is that for valid communication to take place, there must be a sender, a message and a receiver. If the receiver does not receive (understand) the message, then the sender has not communicated effectively. Why is it important for all staff to understand the vision? In my courses I sometimes use a practical example to bring home the point of the value of a shared vision. I have bought three simple 100-piece jigsaw puzzles. I split the group into three smaller groups giving the first group just the pieces but no picture. The second group is given the pieces and a leader is nominated. In this group only the leader is allowed to see the picture. In the
third group everyone is allowed to see the picture. No group knows what the other group has or not. To add the stress dimension typical of a work environment, I give a time limit. The results are predictable yet extremely informative. The group without any picture usually is the slowest. The group where everyone can see the picture has a clear advantage and it shows in their performance. The middle group (one leader who knows the big picture) really represents most businesses. It amazes me that so many businesses still run their operations in this way and yet they are astounded when they do not display signs of unity. When I have added time pressure (deadlines) the middle group often does most poorly.
CONCLUSION 49
I
have
explained
some
of
the
fundamental principles required to understand how to experience unity at work. Achieving unity in business is not some hit and miss affair. It is usually common sense that is based on God’s Word and has huge benefits. His Word is truthful and His principles work.
Reference: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk EncyclopĂŚdia Britannica, Inc; 1994-2003.
Copyright
words: retha fick
photography: liezl du preez
words: ena du plessis
Best friends Debbie Scholtz and Santa van Aswegen have felt the joy of operating in God’s will, according to His calling. They have experienced His provision beyond all expectations. They have learnt that where there is a willing heart, He will provide the way, which is often far greater than what we can imagine. They know that He is as real as the Heaven He has prepared for us. And this they want to share with the world…
52
WHEN SANTA VAN ASWEGEN (46), a former teacher, and her friend Debbie Scholtz (36), a businesswoman, had read Choo Thomas’s international bestseller Heaven Is So Real!, they simply knew that this was a book everyone needed to read. Choo Thomas is a Korean-born American lady, who gave her heart to Jesus in 1992. Heaven Is So Real! is her account of how the Lord Jesus Himself took her to Heaven 17 times to show her what He had prepared for His children. Choo’s website summarizes: “...Heaven is so Real... is more than just a book - it is Christ's loving message to a generation that has largely forgotten, misunderstood or is indifferent about Him.” Santa, originally from Waterval Boven, was introduced to the book in Korea, where she and her family have been living since March 2004. Santa was so excited and inspired by the book that she immediately recommended it to Debbie back in Waterval Boven. Upon enquiring from bookstores and publishers, Debbie discovered that the book was not available in South Africa. She ordered a copy from overseas and once she had read it, she instantly shared in Santa’s excitement. Debbie and Santa agreed that Heaven Is So Real! had to be translated in Afrikaans. Santa took the first step in contacting Choo, who confirmed that although the book had been translated into 27 languages, Afrikaans was not among these. Choo was, however, thrilled with the idea of having the book made accessible to more readers. She undertook to help them with all the procedures. Next Debbie contacted publishers in South Africa with the request that they arrange for the book to be translated. Once they had made the suggestion, she and Santa thought, the publishers would take care of the rest. It was never part of their intention to take control of the process. They did not even have the financial means to do so. However, none of the publishers seemed to share in Debbie’s eagerness. They seemed uncertain as to whether the book would be selling; also they informed her that the entire process would take anything between two and seven years. Debbie and Santa agreed that they could not wait that long – they wanted everyone to read the book immediately. The very message of Heaven Is So Real! is that Jesus is ready to take His children to His Kingdom and that He is coming sooner than we think. Says Debbie, “Although none of us knows exactly when He is coming, we certainly cannot take any chances. We must be ready.” Debbie and Santa were still wondering what to do next, when Choo contacted them to let them know that the translation rights were available. Santa’s husband Arno offered to pay for this. It suddenly became clear that God was entrusting the entire process to Debbie and Santa.
In order to find a Christian translator, Debbie contacted the South African Translators’ Institute, who provided her with some names. She proceeded in contacting the translators, and the first two responded that they were too busy to give the book their immediate attention. The third person on her list was Esther Grobler from Pretoria. “Esther became just as excited as we are. She told me that she was so keen to be part of this project”, Debbie remembers. In June of 2005 Esther began with the translation of Heaven Is So Real! Says Debbie, “She told us that never before had she enjoyed translating any book this much. Not once did she feel that she was battling”. Meanwhile Choo contacted Santa to tell her that she felt that the English edition should also be re-printed in South Africa. So strongly did Choo and her husband feel about this, that they paid for the re-print rights, and so the contract was signed for the English edition to be printed in South Africa. The next step was printing of both the Afrikaans and English editions. Although Debbie and Santa knew that printing costs were entirely beyond their financial means, in faith they proceeded in trying to find printers. After a few calls someone directed Debbie to a professor in Potchefstroom, who was publishing his own works. This professor told Debbie that he used the printing services of Printing Things owned by Dries Coetzee. Debbie contacted Dries and explained their situation. “I told him that we had no or little money to pay the required deposit, but we needed 10 000 books. He calculated the price. My husband managed to give us R20 000 and I presented this to Dries. Dries reduced his required deposit of 65% to about 12%, which meant that our R20 000 was sufficient to start with. Not only that – he offered to start printing for the amount already received and to wait for the balance to be paid as we sell the books! “ When Debbie first approached Dries, she and Santa knew nothing of his beliefs and convictions; but once their negotiations began, it quickly became clear that he was also a committed Christian with a passion for spreading God’s Word. With Dries’s permission, Debbie and Santa were about to use the name of Printing Things as the publisher, when Santa told Debbie one morning that the Lord had given her the name To God be the Glory Publishers. Right away they knew that this was the name they would use. The printing process did not start off as smoothly as anticipated. The entire first consignment’s covers had to be redone due to an error that had slipped in. Shortly after, when they had already received almost 2 000 books, Dries phoned Debbie one morning to tell her that all along they had unknowingly been using the wrong glue to bind the books. As a result the pages were coming loose. This was after they had already sent off a few hundred books. Dries told Debbie that he had very nearly become discouraged. He asked the Lord to shed His light on what had happened, whereupon the Lord encouraged him through two Scripture readings and told him what needed to be done about the faulty books. “Dries told me that he was immediately going to stop giving the enemy credit for everything that goes wrong,” Debbie says as she recalls their conversation of that morning. “He said that he knew he should praise the Lord for everything. For every person phoning to inform us of a book that is falling apart, we should praise Him. We realized anew that we had to stay focused on Him in all circumstances.” Debbie and Santa testify to the amazing way in which the Lord Himself is raising up people to distribute the book. They are not supplying to any bookstores, nor have they ever sought agents. Yet, they are continually approached by people who have read the book and are eager to participate in spreading its message. What Debbie and Santa enjoy about this spontaneous distribution network, is that it is based on personal contact and a passion for the book. Says Debbie, “It is the Lord Himself who tells these people to become agents. They discover for themselves how He uses everyone who has a heart for His work.” Heaven Is So Real! is currently available in 37 languages. Both the English and Afrikaans editions may be obtained from To God be the Glory Publishers. They may be contacted telephonically at (013) 257-0161, by fax at (013) 257-0211, or e-mail at glorytogod@lando.co.za
53
B
A
O
B
A
B
true landmarks on the barren landscape of their habitat words: andrew hankey
58
photography: lindie gouws
References: Coates Palgrave, K, P & M. Everyone’s guide to trees of South Africa. Cape Town: Struik, 1985. Esterhuyse, N., Von Breitenbach, J. & Söhnge, H. Remarkable trees of South Africa. Pretoria: Briza Publications, 2001. Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds). Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Pretoria: National Botanical Institute, 2003. Palmer, E. & Pitman, N. Trees of Southern Africa Vol II. Cape Town: Balkema, 1972. Venter, F & Venter, J. Making the Most of Indigenous Trees. Pretoria, Briza Publications, 1985.
Many of us are familiar with the magnificent appearance of the baobab trees so characteristic of Limpopo Province. These trees were designed for far more than merely decorative purposes, though. Let us explore the many facets of their role in God’s creation.
THE BAOBAB TREE is also known as the cream of tartar tree, monkey-bread tree and lemonade tree. Its biological name is Adansonia digitata. Regarded as the largest succulent plant in the world, often referred to as “grotesque” by some, the trunk of larger baobab trees may reach enormous proportions – up to 28 metres in girth, although they seldom exceed a height of 25 metres. The massive, usually short and thick, cylindrical trunk gives rise to thick, tapering branches resembling a root-system, which is why it is often referred to as the upside-down tree. The large, drooping flowers are white and sweetly scented. The fruit is a large, egg-shaped capsule covered with yellowish-brown hairs, with a dry powdery substance inside. The off-white powdery substance is apparently rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C). It is soaked in water to produce a refreshing drink somewhat reminiscent of lemonade. This drink is also used to treat fevers and other complaints. The baobab tree can be found in areas of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and other tropical African countries where suitable habitat occurs. It is restricted to hot, dry woodland on stoney, well-drained soils, in frost-free areas that receive low rainfall. It may however be cultivated in areas of higher rainfall provided they are frost-free and don’t experience cold winters. In South Africa it is found only in the warm parts of the Limpopo Province. A number of significantly large, historic baobab trees can be seen in the Limpopo Province: The Sagole Baobab is recorded as being the biggest tree in South Africa with a stem diameter of 10.47 metres, height of 22 metres and crown spread of 38,2 metres. It grows east of Tshipise.
The Glencoe Baobab near Hoedspruit is probably the second largest and bears several trunks. It has a stem diameter of 15.9 metres, height of 17 metres and a crown spread of 37.05 metres. This tree has dates carved on the stem from 1893 and 1896. The Platland Baobab grows near Duiwelskloof. It has a stem diameter of 10.64 metres, height of 19 metres and crown spread of 30.2 metres. The Buffelsdrift Baobab is in the Makopane district and has a distinct trunk with a diameter of 7.71 metres, height of 22 metres and crown spread of 30.2 metres.
African honey-bees often utilize hollows in the baobab to make their hives Bats primarily pollinate the large, white flowers with their ruffled petals at night-time, although many different insects and other creatures such as birds will visit the fragrant blooms. Being white, they are more visible at night, and the sweet scent also helps to attract a wide variety of potential pollinators. The seed capsule does not split open; instead it hangs from the tree until it is blown off by wind or collected by monkeys, baboons or people who all enjoy the soft, powdery substance that covers the seeds. African honey-bees often utilize hollows in the baobab to make their hives. One can often see a “ladder” of pegs hammered into the trunk, which is used by seasonal
honey harvesters to gain access to the hives. The leaves are said to be rich in vitamin C, sugars, potassium tartrate, and calcium. They are cooked fresh as a vegetable or dried and crushed for later use. The sprout of a young tree can be eaten like asparagus. The root of very young trees is also reputed to be edible, while the seeds are too, and can be roasted for use as a coffee substitute. Wild animals eat the fallen leaves and fresh leaves are said to be good feed for domestic animals. The fallen flowers are relished by wild animals and cattle alike. When the wood is chewed it provides vital moisture to relieve thirst; humans as well as certain animals eat it in times of drought. Despite its remarkable vitality, when a baobab dies it collapses into a heap of soggy, fibrous pulp. Stories exist of how such quickly decomposing trees spontaneously combust and are completely burnt up. As the baobab trees stand out as true landmarks on the barren landscape of their habitat, God’s children are called to reflect His light in this sinful world. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in Heaven.” We have seen how God uses the baobab tree to provide food, water, vitality, shelter and relief from sickness. We, too, may share in the privilege of being used as vessels of His provision. Let us follow the lead of our Master: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).
59
THERE ARE SOME 70 different species of swallow worldwide with 20 different species occurring in Southern Africa. Swallows belong to the order of the Hirundinidae, as do the martins, which indeed are often mistaken for swallows by the casual observer, a misidentification also extended to swifts. The main differences between these three are that the swallows have a distinct “shoulder “ to the wing, forming a “W”. The swifts have more sickle-shaped, swept-back wings, and are unable to perch as the others do, so are never seen on telephone lines. Like the martins they are generally a brownish colour, where swallows are generally bluish on top and white underneath. The martins, too, generally have a squarish tail whereas swifts and swallows have distinctly forked tails. The swift also features in the Bible – In Jeremiah 8:7 God refers to this bird to illustrate an important point, “Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But My people do not know the requirements of the Lord.” Swallows are very graceful, smallish birds typically having swept-back wings and a distinctly square or forked tail. They are of great benefit to man in that they feed extensively on flying insects, being able to snatch these in mid-air. They typically build a nest of mud under bridges or rocky overhangs, or on the underside of projecting roofs. Some species have a home in an earthen bank. The Blue swallows nest in sunken places where they dig out a nest hole. The nest is lined with feathers and grass. All are migratory with some species moving a relatively short distance into northern Africa, while others, like the European swallow, move right up to Russia and Britain. Some build the well-known mud nest with a long entrance tunnel, while others build a “half-cup” nest without the tunnel. Swifts, on the other hand, belong to the order Apodiformes represented in Southern Africa by 13 species. They do not build the characteristic mud nests that swallows do. The Cave swift makes its nest wholly of saliva. Some, such as the White-rumped and Little swifts have been known to take over swallow mud-nests, as do Cape and House sparrows. Swifts generally nest in rocky crevices, holes or ledges. Roberts Birds of Southern Africa and the
many other bird books available on southern African birds, all provide excellent information on and illustrations of these birds. A general rule of thumb when trying to identify these graceful creatures is to note the habitat you see them in. Reference to a good bird book will note that the various species are generally found in specific habitats. While most species of swallows are fairly numerous, the Blue swallow is in great danger of extinction, particularly in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This is mainly due to transformation of its very specific grassland habitat, which is greatly favoured by growers of timber and crops. Transforming these grasslands for the cultivation of crops, whether it be trees or potatoes, causes the Blue swallow to disappear. It is the only one of the swallow family to have the very dubious honour of being listed in the World Conservation Union among the various species that are rare or threatened to some degree. The Blue swallow is also the only swallow with clear differences between male and female. 61
In today’s world where chemical poisons have long been man’s first line of defence against insects, we have lost sight of the incredible contribution made by creatures feeding on insects, such as birds and bats. Such creatures consume incredible amounts of insects and it remains one of the tragedies of modern times that the poisons we use, directly contribute to the decline of these valuable species. God has provided nature with a twenty-four hour insect patrol – the birds tackling insects that move in daylight, while creatures such as bats very capably take care of insects that move at night. We should always bear in mind that our activities have an effect on the natural world. The signs are very often subtle – but are nevertheless there to be seen by those who are sensitive to the environment. The Bible notes clearly that God gave man dominion over His creation – and with that dominion goes the responsibility of caring for creation. (Genesis 1:28; 2:15.) It is often the small species that are the messengers of how our dominion is faring. Small species like swallows…
heart eear a rrt ar
poems poem poe eems em mss m
YOU
Jesus I want to display, How much I appreciate that You touched me in a special way
Jesus, the one that filled my empty space You washed me in Your Blood and with Your amazing Grace How could I deny You for so long, But now I am so glad You came along You the One I love and adore, I couldn’t ask for much more
You fill my heart with a song, I could sing of Your love all day long In the Bible, the book of Psalms is a collection of 150 poems written to celebrate the glory of God. We would like to encourage our readers to follow the example of David and the other Psalmists, and to send us your poetry. If your contribution is placed, you will receive a beautiful leather bound Bible (New International Version) published by Struik Christian Books.
Come on! Put your pen to paper and s e n d y o u r contributions to letters@myworld.za.com or Private Bag 2003, Krugersdorp , 1740.
Congratulations to Michelle Bessick from Cape Town and Lida Lindeque from Plettenberg Bay for sending their beautiful poems. We have sent you each a special Bible. e May you be blessed by God!
I thank You for love and faithfulness and Your presence that brings fullness
Lord stay in my heart forever You the one thing I don’t want to lose ever... Michelle Bessick
HIM ng TO G y Ki N O m S t MY im hris d C with H ints n a d sa e o s v y G will li we Hi m ise y we are s sing pra Oh ternall blessed nd let’ e E lov ea nd py a ’s danc in His p a e t H Le ejoic l rea R s i dom uth King rd is tr song s i H ve Wo der, His im a lo rue rovi P t , H d m Sing ure an Wisdo d , P r rien iou Sav Best F y m , ock sus Healer e fl ife e h J t of L d of King her Bread ace p e ord e d Sh ater, and P u my L e s s W o y Ble iving e, Jo are Y e -g ov Life rnal L agranc e r t F E rd iful er, aut u Lo God e o ovid B Y r t P e s s v , o M I lo loriou isdom W tG Mos aviour, Friend t S Bes my sus ealer, e J H que King inde L a Lid
subscribetoMYWorld The first 20 subscriptions will receive a Heather Clark CD as a special subscription gift. S U B S C R I P T I O N D E TA I L S
PAY M E N T D E TA I L S OPTION ONE
Yes, I want to subscribe to MY World for:
Debit my:
6 Issues: R118.50
12 Issues: R237.00
Bank
For myself
For “someone else”
Cheque
Savings Account
Branch Code Account Number Amount
Y O U R D E TA I L S
Address Postal Code Contact No
Visa
Credit Card Mastercard
Card Number Expiry Date Last 3 digits on back of card
Cellphone E-mail
OPTION THREE
ID
Enclosed find cheque/postal order payable to Phe-tiwe Media and Publications (Pty) Ltd to the value of R
GIVE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION Title Name & Surname Address Postal Code Contact No
OPTION FOUR Paid cash R Please remember to sign this form before submitting.
Signature:
Date:
Cellphone E-mail ID
MAIL THIS FORM TO: Phe-tiwe Media and Publications (Pty) Ltd, Private Bag 2003, Krugersdorp, 1740 or fax to (011) 953-4281. Alternatively subscribe via Internet at subscribe@myworld.za.com (electronic transfers available). Visit us at www.myworld.za.com
it is an ideal gift!
Debit my:
Name & Surname
subscribe for a friend,
OPTION TWO Title
“Life is full of experiences and adventures. Through them we learn and grow. The best thing of my life is the assurance that m y Redeemer lives!” Cindèle
spirit life
66
on the mount
photography: liezl du preez
be ati t udes
TO EXPLORE THE riches of the beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12, we need to delve deeply into the treasury of God’s Word. The wisdom contained in each beatitude calls for reflection on every part of it. BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN The following is an excerpt from the book In Search of Blessings, by Kathryn Kuhlman, published with kind permission of Bride-Logos Publishers, Florida, USA. Puregoldclassics.com. As we begin this study, let us pause to picture Jesus sitting there on the side of the mountain surrounded by His disciples and the multitudes who had followed Him. If you have travelled to the Holy Land, perhaps you have walked over the same ground where those people gathered. As I made my way over portions of Israel, I have wondered if I was standing ovn the soil where Jesus stood. I may have climbed the same hill. Perhaps I saw the very spot where Jesus sat down and said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Have you ever wondered if those who were listening to Him really understood? OR have you questioned if you or I would have comprehended the real depth of meaning of His words if we had been there? To my thinking and living as we do in this materialistic world, the very minute the word “poor” left Jesus’ lips, the masses immediately equated “poor” with a lack of money; but the possession of money alone does not make a person rich. One’s wealth cannot always be measured by material gains or accumulations; and the word “rich” can have a meaning quite different from mere material possessions. One can be rich in the things of God, or rich in mind, rich in heart, rich in spirit, and still possess little material wealth. Now when Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, I am sure there were some in the gathering who lost interest immediately. But do you want to know what the word “poor” means here? One must become poor – poor in a deep sense of nothingness before God – to truly be rich in the things of God. I will admit that is a most difficult hurdle and one of the hardest achievements for any man. We are part of a generation whose doctrine is self-sufficiency, which is absolutely contrary to the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very things that Jesus was preaching in this sermon were contrary to their theology then, and modern theology now; contrary to man’s thinking then, and man’s thinking now. Man’s doctrine, man’s theology, man’s rules for living are, in a sense, a code of selfsufficiency; and that is why it is very difficult for man to get to the place where he can come into the presence of Almighty God and actually have a feeling of complete nothingness, where he can be absolutely resigned before the giving hand of his Lord. The foundation of all spiritual happiness is a consciousness before God of one’s emptiness and one’s need.
67
Jesus tells us in this first beatitude – poverty of spirit – that we must be aware of our lack of God. When we get to that place (and it is not easy, believe me), we have laid the foundation for genuine wealth. You and I will never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven until we get to the place where we acknowledge our absolute nothingness. Real riches come from God. Real blessings come from the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Real wealth cannot be bought with dollars and cents for we cannot purchase even the smallest blessing from God.
68
If you want to be truly rich, you must come to the place where you have a deep sense of nothingness before God; and that, my friend, is what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The realization of our lack of God is the poverty that makes rich. And when you come to the place where you can face yourself, face God, and realize your lack of Him and your need of Him – when you get to the place where you recognize your nothingness, it is then that you are on the road to becoming rich. But Jesus does not stop there. He continues by saying, “Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” He is telling us that we have immediate possession of the Kingdom of Heaven now! We don’t need to die to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven, but sometimes we have such false ideas. We are so farsighted – looking for the glories of the kingdom after death. That is not God’s plan. You and I can be rich now! We can inherit and be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven now! Our only limitation is our capability of receiving what Jesus promised us. Please turn with me to another portion of scripture, a verse which is familiar to all of us: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).
The Kingdom of God belongs to little children in exactly the same way the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. Its powers are theirs. You see, the poor in spirit, those who acknowledge their absolute nothingness in God’s presence, can be likened to a little child: simple, unaffected, and teachable. It is when we possess the spirit like that of a little child that we are able to realize our nothingness and come to the knowledge that all our sufficiency is of God. Only then can we inherit His kingdom. These two classes – the poor in spirit and those who possess the spirit of a little child – are one and the same in God’s sight; and right here we find the key that unlocks the resources of the storehouse of the universe, and the wealth of it all is ours. There is a parallel to the Christian concept of entire surrender to the will of God that I have found most interesting. It is what science seems to teach in most unmistakable terms. Let me explain what I mean. Science says: sit down before the facts as a little child. Be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, every preconceived idea. Be willing to follow to whatever end nature will lead you, or you will know nothing. How does a scientist gain mastery over nature? There is only one way: by surrendering to it. If the scientist is proud and unteachable, he will learn nothing. He will master nothing. Every great scientist is a humble man. I have listened to them and I am amazed at their humility, awed by their absolute unpretentiousness. I am of the true belief that every really great scientist is a humble person. He advances, as it were, upon his knees. Then, he stands straight and masterful, and all the powers of nature are at his disposal. The meek, the Word of God says, inherit the earth; so you, too, inherit its powers as you surrender to the Kingdom of Heaven.
As we look further into this study of the poor in spirit, some will immediately feel they have nothing to learn from it, for their status already is poverty. But I am not talking about the kind of poverty that concerns one’s bank account. I have known people who are proud of their poverty. They glory in it, just as some people have too much fun being sick to ever be well physically. They can talk about their sicknesses, and enjoy the sympathy they receive; and sometimes I wonder whether there is really much wrong with them. But, you see, it makes them the center of attention, and if ever they were perfectly well, they would lose their crutch. No, I am not talking about that kind of poverty. I am talking about being poor in spirit, a poverty which can bring one the greatest accumulation of wealth that a human being can know. Let me direct your attention to a book in the Old Testament, the 13th Chapter of Numbers. Twelve men were sent to spy out the Promised Land. Ten of them returned and gave a disheartening report. They said: “...and there we saw the giants...and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers.” But two of them saw victory through the eyes of God for they said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). In Matthew 25:14-30, we read of the servants to whom were entrusted talents. The man with one talent was poor and do you know why? Because he buried his talent in the ground. There are a lot of people who lack the courage to use the talents that are theirs. They are poor, indeed. On the other hand, there is the other extreme: and overabundance of self-confidence, which is a form of poverty also. I believe Peter typified that type of poverty when he boastfully said, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Matthew 26:33). At this period in Peter’s life, he was
boastful and had yet to learn to be poor in spirit. In Luke 18:10-14 we read of two men who went up to the temple to pray. One said, “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are.” He was very satisfied with himself and I do believe God heard one word of his prayer. I can picture that old fellow standing where everybody would be sure to see him pray. They may have considered him a very spiritual person, and thought: “What a good man. Look how sincere he is!” But that which was in his heart and mind became evident when he said: “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are.” You know, one can criticise another only after he has become satisfied with himself. In this case, this man’s spiritual vision was distorted and warped as he focused on his neighbors’ shortcomings, and on his own good qualities. There are some of us, too, who could use a change of spiritual glasses because our own spiritual sight is not clear. We need to see ourselves as God and other see us. But let us notice now the publican who “smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” He did not look upon his neighbor, but saw his own sins. That man may have possessed great material wealth. He may have had the courage of a mighty conqueror, but he realized that he lacked something which God alone could supply. Thus, the poverty which is a key to God’s kingdom, is the realization that even though we may possess all things, all things are nothing without God. If you can get to the place where you can realize that all things are nothing without God – no matter what you have, though you may possess all that this world counts as riches – then you have learned the secret of being numbered among the poor in spirit, those who possess all things through Jesus Christ.
God’s Kingdom becomes an immediate possession when we become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Remember: God’s Kingdom is not a place. It is not an experience. It is not bounded by geographical lines. It is bounded only by our capacity to receive it. It can be likened to sanctification, and we do not seek sanctification. Neither do we seek the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is bounded by our capacity to receive it. When we have met the conditions and we have come on God’s terms, having paid the price of complete surrender, we will know that we have entered into the Kingdom of Heaven. In possessing the Kingdom, we possess all things. I beg you – keep your eyes on Jesus. With your eyes on Him you will not seesaw in your emotions. You will not be rich one moment and poverty-stricken the next. God is the same when the paycheck is coming in and when it fails. Listen to the words God spoke to Joshua and all Israel following Moses’ death: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). The journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness is an example to us here and now. They had placed their faith in Moses. Then he died and they were terrified. He had been their leader, their crutch, their strength and their courage. They had leaned on him for everything. But God had everything under control! Do you want to know Joshua’s secret for courage? He belonged to the Kingdom of God. Joshua was wearing the right kind of glasses and he was looking in the right direction. He was a spiritual giant because he knew in whom he had placed his faith; thus he could heed God’s words: BE STRONG! He was not rich one moment an poverty-stricken the next. He was rich under ALL circumstances. Had Joshua not
possessed courage himself – had he not been strong spiritually within, he could not have instilled confidence and assurance in the hearts of the children of Israel. Joshua is the perfect example today of what it means to belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Possessing God’s power enables us to face life with enthusiasm. It gives us a deep inward peace because we are not afraid of tomorrow and there comes into our lives an inner joy that outward circumstances can never touch because God is within us and God is love. As a result, there flows out from us a love for others that sweeps aside all prejudice, all jealousy, and all hatred. The Kingdom of Heaven is about belonging! First of all, we belong to Jesus and that is the greatest joy in the world. Do you want to know what really gives me joy and happiness? It’s not something external. Sometimes I wish I could get more enthusiastic about things that are external and I wish I could recapture some of the emotions I had when I was a little girl. But my real happiness and my real joy come from within, from knowing that I belong to God, that He is my Heavenly Father, and that I am a part of His kingdom. I face everyday with that glorious knowledge. It gives me a deep inward peace an removes all fear for tomorrow. Why should I be afraid of what tomorrow will bring when I am an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ Jesus? I am a part of His kingdom and in the light of these blessings, all other possessions are empty and grow dim and fall short of His glory.
Therefore, I look up and thank God that I became poor in spirit; in return, He gives to me day after day the joy and assurance of having a part in the Kingdom of Heaven.
69
words: retha fick, ena du plessis and christa cloete
photography: liezl du preez
IN THE OLD Testament we read of God’s redemption of the Israelites from their bondage of slavery in Egypt and exile in Babylon. That He paid a price for their freedom, is clear from Isaiah 43:1: “... Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]...” and Isaiah 43:4: “...I will give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life.” The New Testament teaches us of God’s redemption of all who believe in Jesus. Through this redemption we are freed from the various forms of bondage to which sin subjects us; and the price that God paid was the life of His Son Jesus.
REDEMPTION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
72
God’s desire and willingness to redeem are demonstrated in his deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. “The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…’” (Exodus 3:7, 8). God’s acts of redemption displayed His greatness. With these acts, He revealed Himself to His people as the almighty God who has the power to save them from slavery and captivity. He did these mighty acts to let them realize who He is and that He is the only One they should follow and serve. “I will redeem you with an outstretched Arm and with mighty acts of judgement. I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians” (Exodus 6:6, 7). The Bible teaches that God’s love is His
motive for redeeming His people. “But because the Lord loves you and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty Hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:8).
REDEMPTION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT God’s redemption of the Israelites foreshadowed His redemption through Jesus of all who believe in Him. Jesus was born to become our Redeemer, paying with His life for our freedom. We are all in need of redemption from sin and its consequences, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our need for redemption arose with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve’s sin caused, among other things, that they were banished from the Garden, that they forfeited their dominion over the earth, and that God placed a curse on the ground: “‘By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return’” (Genesis 3:19).
God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to the world to become our Redeemer But then already, in His love and mercy, God promised to send the Redeemer: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
THE MEANS BY WHICH WE ARE REDEEMED God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to the world to become our Redeemer. “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5). The price that He paid for us, was His own life which He laid down by dying on the Cross – in Matthew 20:28 He says, “...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” That our redemption lies in the shedding of His Blood, is stressed in Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His Blood...” and Revelation 1:5: “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His Blood...” FORMS OF BONDAGE FROM WHICH JESUS CHRIST REDEEMS BELIEVERS 1. Jesus Christ redeems us from being slaves of sin. Sin no longer has the hold it once had on us. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, made it possible for us to be victorious over sin. In Romans 6:18 we read, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Jesus explains in John 8:34, 36, “ ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” 2. Jesus Christ redeems us from the curse of the law. Our justification does not lie in keeping the law, but through faith in the Blood of Jesus. Galathians 3:13-14 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise
of the Spirit.” 3. Jesus Christ redeems us from empty religion. We do not have to live according to a system of external observations and regulations to try to please God. Jesus made it possible for us to enter God’s presence and have a living, real relationship with Him. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His Body, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Jesus Christ redeems us so that we may receive God’s promised blessings 4. Jesus Christ redeems us from the power of Satan. Because Jesus was victorious over Satan, we have authority over Satan on this earth in Jesus’ Name. “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13). 5. Jesus Christ redeems us from the coming judgement. God’s wrath of sin was poured out on Jesus on Calvary the day Jesus died. God’s anger is turned away from those who believe that Christ had paid the price. We therefore do not have to fear the Day of Judgement. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we read, “… and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
6. Jesus Christ redeems from fear of death. Death was defeated by Jesus Christ, which means that believers do not have to fear the reality of death. “… so that by His death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14b, 15). THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH JESUS CHRIST REDEEMS BELIEVERS 1. Jesus Christ redeems us so that our sins may be forgiven. We can be in right standing with God, no matter what we did, because Jesus had paid the price. “In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…” (Ephesians 1:7). 2. Jesus Christ redeems us to make us pure. “…Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:13c, 14). 3. Jesus Christ redeems us so that we may receive God’s promised blessings. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4, 5). 4. Jesus Christ redeems us so that we may receive eternal life. “For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
OUR REDEMPTION – A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD’S HEART It is because of God’s great love for us that He did not leave us to bear the consequences of our sin. He paid the full price required to buy us back – the life of His only Son Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that every one who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) Let us 73
never forget that the precious Blood of Jesus was shed for our complete redemption, and let us live as His redeemed children. “And since we are His children, we will share His treasures – for everything God gives to His Son, Christ, is ours, too” (Romans 8:17b). REFERENCES Allen, R.E. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1990. The NIV Thematic Reference Bible. Michigan: Zondervan, 1999.
{
}
Spiritual Warfare Prayer Warriors - Part 2 From Genesis 1 it is clear that God intended us to be in a loving relationship with Him, to fully depend on Him, to delight in one another’s company and to enjoy the earth He has created for us to live in. Why, then, is our planet a scene of destruction, pain and corruption? Why is there so little evidence of God’s rule of love on earth? Why is our natural man mostly in opposition to God, rather than having a natural love relationship with our Creator? The answer is simply that human sin has brought the world under Satan’s control. Satan with his kingdom of darkness has invaded God’s rightful territory. words: corrie huyser
photography: liezl du preez
“Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world – what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of – none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).
painting: prophetic brush
THERE IS AN element to spiritual warfare that we should never disregard. That is the influence of the world we live in. We are inclined to think that the attacks of the devil will come only from his domain – hell – and that he will only use demons to attack Christians, but we seem to forget that the Bible clearly states that the world is under the influence and in the power of the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” In 1 John 2:16 we read, “For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” Every dimension of human experience and existence is susceptible to the damaging effects of Satan’s domination. A problem for Christians is not how to avoid these damaging effects, but how to avoid being influenced and controlled by the power behind these things. Jesus said we are sent into the world but we are not of the world. (John 17:14-18.) We belong to another world, another Kingdom. Therefore we should avoid being influenced by the power of the ruler of this world by remaining under the influence and power of another, stronger Ruler. Even in the most ordinary decisions and activities we should live our lives centred on Christ and on His glory. 1 John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. Everything that belongs to the world – what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of – none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world.” Satan’s strategy is very subtle. He often uses things that are not obviously sinful to draw us away from the truth. Satan entices us out of the security of continually abiding in Christ and makes us concentrate instead on rules that give us a false feeling of security. In this way he creates in us a worldly preoccupation with things. As Christians our focus should never be on doing or not doing things – we should always focus on God. We need to daily ask ourselves, “Is Jesus Christ the focal point of my life?” Satan is happy when we are satisfied with no more than a form of religion – the world’s counterfeit of living in a relationship with Jesus Christ and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul stresses the inherent danger of focusing on anything of the world even in our Christianity, in Colossians 2:20-23: “If you have died with Christ to the world's way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It's as though you were still under the world's influence. People will tell you, ‘Don't handle this! Don't taste or touch that!’ All of these things deal with objects that are only used up anyway. These things look like wisdom with their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body. But they have no value for holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature.”
It is this “corrupt nature” that causes us to rebel against God by leaning towards the world and its standards. We need to become spiritual beings and as Paul said, “dead to sin” (Romans 6) – free from the desire for things of the world. Romans 8:5 says, “Those who live by the corrupt nature have the corrupt nature's attitude. But those who live by the spiritual nature have the spiritual nature's attitude. The corrupt nature's attitude leads to death. But the spiritual nature's attitude leads to life and peace. This is so because the corrupt nature has a hostile attitude toward God. It refuses to place itself under the authority of God's standards because it can't. Those who are under the control of the corrupt nature can't please God. But if God's Spirit lives in you, you are under the control of your spiritual nature, not your corrupt nature. Whoever doesn't have the Spirit of Christ doesn't belong to Him.” Because we are in a war we have to be alert and ready for whatever we come up against. Our enemy is waiting for us to put down our weapons and take a rest. We must be careful not to think that once we have won personal battles, we need not continue. After successfully overcoming personal strongholds we need to advance into the wider arena of prayer warfare. As the armed force of the Lord we also need to pray for our city, our country, the lost and people bound by various demonic forces. War is a series of battles. Once an army wins a battle the soldiers occupy enemy territory and keep guard. Vigilance is needed after every victory. The enemy will always try to counter attack and re-occupy the territory. Ben Jennings says in The Arena of Prayer, “With God’s power the Church is the mightiest army ever assembled. And we are part of the action. Our supply line is prayer. Without a continuous, fresh supply of power and guidance from God, we become victims rather than victors. But with an adequate supply we are invincible [unbeatable].” Reference: Jennings, Ben. The Arena of Prayer. New Life Publications, A Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.
75
Good and godly people arrange within themselves ahead of time those things that they must do; Not being moved in keeping with the desires of an evil disposition, but in keeping with the guidance of right reason. Who struggles more than those who strive to overcome themselves? This should be our endeavour: to conquer ourselves, and daily to grow stronger and to make a further growth in holiness. 4. Every perfection in this life has some imperfection mixed with it, and none of our knowledge is without some darkness. A humble knowledge of yourself is a surer way to God than an involved intellectual search after learning; Yet learning is not to be condemned, and the mere knowledge of something is not to be disliked. Learning is good in itself and ordained by God, but a good conscience and a virtuous life should always be preferred before it. However, because many endeavour to get knowledge rather than live well, they are often deceived and get no or very little benefits. 5. If we put as much effort into rooting out our vices and implanting virtues as we do in trying to solve questions, there would not be so much hurt caused, or such disgraceful incidences in the world, or so much moral looseness practiced in religious organizations. 77
Truly, at the Day of Judgement we will not be examined for what we have read, but for what we have done (Matthew 25:14-46); not for how well we have spoken, but for how virtuously we have lived. Tell me now, where are all those‌ that you knew so well when they were alive and famous for their knowledge? Others have now taken their places and perhaps scarcely ever think about them. While they were alive they seemed to be important people, but now they are seldom mentioned. 6. Oh, how quickly the glory of the world passes away! (Ecclesiastes 2:11.) Oh, that their life had been in keeping with their knowledge! – then their study and reading would have been worthwhile. There are many who perish because they care more about fruitless knowledge (Titus 1:10) in this world than they do about serving God. And because they choose to be great rather than humble, they therefore become futile in their thoughts. (Romans 1:21) Those who are great in love are truly great. Those who are little in themselves and do not care about being given honour are truly great. (Matthew 8:4; 23:11) Those who count all earthly things as dung so that they may gain Christ are truly wise. (Philippians 3:8) Those who do the will of God and forsake their own wills are truly learned.
“He guides me in His ways and saved me to live a happy, satisfactory and creative life. That’s why I choose Him as my Leader.” Enocentia
y - talkk
e
and adopting us into His family. About five years ago this concept was illustrated to us when my wife Adelle and I began the process of adopting our precious little daughter Cyara. You see, we were told that we would not be able to have children of our own so we decided that we would adopt. Today Cyara is a beautiful little lady who calls me Daddy and to her that is what I will always be. We have started telling her how we got to choose her and that we will always love her as our very own even though she was born to In my travels around the country, speaking with young people, I another mummy. have become aware of many young people who are living in two worlds. They are aware that they have been redeemed by Jesus, Thirdly we need to remember that because Christ has redeemed but unfortunately they are not living as the redeemed. In some us, we are significant and unique. Today many young people are confronted with negative messages, which give them a false sense ways they are slaves to the sin in their lives. of who they are. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:24 that we are The word slavery creates many different pictures in people’s “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” and in minds. And as a young person, maybe you are wondering what 1 Timothy 4:4 he reminds us, “For everything God created is slavery has to do with you. Being a slave to someone or something, good...” means being a victim of and totally controlled by that person or thing. This certainly applies to sin – it traps us, rendering us We need to get rid of the shackles of sin that easily trip us up and powerless to escape its clutches. Consequently, no matter how take us captive. These shackles are not part of the will of God for hard we try, we are unable to overcome our sin. It might be lust, our lives. How do we get rid of them? The help of the Holy Spirit is uncontrollable anger, drug abuse, envy, lying, materialism, essential. His role in the process is firstly to convict us and help us destructive behaviour, harmful attitudes, or whatever. In our acknowledge our sin for what it is. Secondly, when we yield to natural, unsaved state we are at the mercy of sin, powerless Him, He leads us to a point where we want the hold that sin has against it. In spite of the fact that sin ruins relationships, wrecks on us, to be broken. Thirdly, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lives and brings untold pain, misery and regret, we can’t seem to break the shackles and set us free. We might find that we need the help of a Spirit-filled counsellor. And finally, once we have overcome it. been set free, let us turn our back on sin and live as the Our only hope is in Christ who can redeem us, setting us free from redeemed! sin’s penalty and its power in our daily lives. The Blood that was shed by Christ on the Cross has redeemed us; we have been set We need to attain discernment. Discernment helps us to make the free from the power of sin. Sin no longer has the hold on us that it right decisions and choose the right paths. It enables us to avoid once did. In Zechariah 4:2 we read, “So he said to me, ‘This is the being deceived by the false promises of sin. Through discernment world of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but we are able to avoid error, evil ways and wrong paths. “He who by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Through the power of keeps the law is a discerning son...” (Proverbs 28:7). We are not fooled into succumbing to things which on the surface appear so God’s indwelling Holy Spirit we are able to say no to sin. right, but which bring only heartache and regret. Proverbs 14:12 The challenge to all of us is to start living as young people who are says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it truly redeemed and free from condemnation and the power of sin. leads to death.” Discernment protects us from living off the things that can’t satisfy and that don’t last. It enables us to focus instead on the important things in life, such as our relationship with God, HOW CAN WE LIVE AS THE REDEEMED OF GOD? family and friends. God’s discernment enables us to live life as Firstly, we must renew our minds as Paul challenges us in Romans God has designed it to be lived. Discernment enables us to truly 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but experience newness of life in Christ. We should follow the be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be example of the Psalmist in asking God for the gift of discernment: able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing “Let me understand the teaching of Your precepts...” (Psalm and perfect will.” A person’s mind contains deeply held beliefs 119:27); “Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe and attitudes, which have been learned through environment, in Your commands” (Psalm 119:66). experiences and education. These beliefs and attitudes produce thoughts that reflect how we perceive the events of our lives. Finally, as redeemed young people we need to start living These thoughts are the source of our emotions and emotions are victorious lives. the launching pad for actions. Believing and applying these truths help us to move from a life in Secondly we must begin to live as people chosen by God. Many of bondage to the wonderful life that God planned for us. Let us us struggle to come to terms with the concept of God choosing us embrace the gift of redemption! IN HIS LETTER to the Philippians, Paul gives us a great illustration of redemption. In Philippians 3:12 he writes that Christ has taken hold of us and throughout the letter he shows how we have been redeemed from a life that was going to be totally separated from God and His eternal love and mercy to having an abundant life filled with the joy and love that can only come from a solid relationship with Christ.
81
photography: liezl du preez
ChanĂŠ, Nathan & Loshice
g the eyes of a child through
“... Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them” (Isaiah 11:6).”
90 words: retha fick & Tar-Trek
photography: jaco le roux
tar-trek
claiming territory for His Kingdom A GROUP OF young believers, most of them inexperienced cyclists, has done the seemingly impossible. They cycled 5000 km around the outside borders of South Africa in only six weeks – to pray for the nation. It was not the first time this enormous task was undertaken. For the seventh and last year Tar-Trek trusted in God to break down strongholds in South-Africa and to supernaturally sustain them to obey the calling. This vision was given by God in 1998. Andries van der Merwe (31), currently a pastor at the Shofar Christian Church in London, shares how the vision was born. “I was 24 at the time and busy with my internship at Shofar Christian Church in Stellenbosch. In my quiet time one day, while speaking to God about our nation and reading Joshua 6, I believe God showed me that the divisions in our nations are foremost of a spiritual nature and that the natural is only a manifestation of the spiritual. Not only are there spiritual walls that divide us but strongholds that dominate our nation. I believe God also told me that even though these walls and strongholds might seem impregnable and intimidating, they could fall. I asked God how and that day the vision of Tar-Trek was born.” The vision was to undertake a Jericho march around the outside borders of South Africa and to pray against the walls and strongholds. They decided to cycle instead of walk simply because walking would take too long. They did not ride in relay, but each individual trusted in God to make the entire distance every day, on average 140 km per day with some days up to 190 km, depending on the route. The first Tar-Trek took place in 1999 and it was repeated yearly after that. On the 26th of November 2005 the seventh and last Tar-Trek started with a team of 16 cyclists and 10 people in the support team. They finished the tour in Stellenbosch on the 9th of January 2006. Their purpose being to pray and proclaim God’s Heart for the nation and to claim it for Him, intercession took an important place in their daily schedule. “About every 100 km we stopped to intercede and worship for up to three hours, depending on what God would be saying at the time,” Andries explains. “Every time we trusted God to speak to us about His Heart for the specific area we were travelling through. We then prayed according to what we believed He was saying.” Most of the team members were not cyclists. They were ordinary people who were to a very large extent dependent on God to supply them with strength to make it through every day. They had been training for four months, an average of one hour a day up to five days a week. On the tour they cycled an average of six hours a day. One day in the tour – the Pig’s
Peak day in Swaziland – took between 15 and 18 hours to complete. Says Andries, “After day three, having completed close to 450 km, most of the cyclists came to their physical and emotional end. For most of them it was the first time in their lives that they had to trust in God in such a way. They needed to trust in God for a miracle, sometimes just to make it over the next hill… just to face another one. It was with this same brokenness and dependency on God that we entered intercession and that is, I believe, why the intercession was so powerful. “We followed the principle that when your spirit is willing, it has the ability to overrule your soul and your body. One learns to die to yourself and to trust in God alone to carry you through the day. The words, ‘God’s grace is sufficient for you’, very much become a reality. It is beautiful to see how, once team members enter God’s grace, He comes through for them. When we are without any masks, totally consecrated to Him, He moves in our lives.” Going for days without a warm shower, sleeping an average of only six hours a night – on the floor in school and church halls, being pushed beyond physical and emotional limits, the team members, aged between 19 and 31, certainly learned what it is to be totally dependent on God. Andries testifies about God’s great love for the people of South Africa. “Everywhere we go we experience God’s Heart for this nation. He wants to establish and bless us. It is much like a gentleman pursuing his loved one by bringing her a bunch of flowers. If she’s not at home he cannot bless her in that way. God wants us to position ourselves to receive His blessing. “God is removing the strongholds in the spiritual realm and the church has to take up its position. We feel God said that He would remove any walls or obstacles that could have been preventing the church from accomplishing its purpose in South Africa. In Joshua’s time, when the walls fell it was not the end, but the beginning… Now the church must rise as one man and take the nation. To accomplish His purposes we, the church in South Africa, must function as a ‘body’, a unit. We should not be distracted by our differences, our own individual vision and purpose; we should be united in God’s purpose for this nation. Those members of the body who are strong in revelation, resources and the like, must share with those who are weak, to enable all to fulfil God’s purposes. “This means we must grow to a new level of seeking and understanding God’s will and Kingdom, like the first church did.”
91
photography: liezl du preez
Month 9 Day 1
: 1 Corinthians 12
/ Psalm 135, 136
Day 16 : 2 Corinthians 9
/ Proverbs 25, 26
Day 2
: 1 Corinthians 13
/ Psalm 137, 138, 139
Day 17 : 2 Corinthians 10
/ Proverbs 27, 28, 29
Day 3
: 1 Corinthians 14: 1-20 / Psalm 140, 141, 142
Day 18 : 2 Corinthians 11: 1-15 / Proverbs 30, 31
Day 4
: 1 Corinthians 14: 21-40 / Psalm 143, 144, 145
Day 19 : 2 Corinthians 11: 16-33 / Ecclesiastes 1, 2, 3
Day 5
: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-28 / Psalm 146, 147
Day 20 : 2 Corinthians 12
/ Ecclesiastes 4, 5, 6
Day 6
: 1 Corinthians 15: 29-58 / Psalm 148, 149, 150
Day 21 : 2 Corinthians 13
/ Ecclesiastes 7, 8, 9
Day 7
: 1 Corinthians 16
/ Proverbs 1, 2
Day 22 : Galatians 1
/ Ecclesiastes 10, 11, 12
Day 8
: 2 Corinthians 1
/ Proverbs 3, 4, 5
Day 23 : Galatians 2
/ Song of Solomon 1, 2, 3
Day 9
: 2 Corinthians 2
/ Proverbs 6, 7
Day 24 : Galatians 3
/ Song of Solomon 4, 5
Day 10 : 2 Corinthians 3
/ Proverbs 8, 9
Day 25 : Galatians 4
/ Song of Solomon 6, 7, 8
Day 11 : 2 Corinthians 4
/ Proverbs 10, 11, 12
Day 26 : Galatians 5
/ Isaiah 1, 2
Day 12 : 2 Corinthians 5
/ Proverbs 13, 14, 15
Day 27 : Galatians 6
/ Isaiah 3, 4
Day 13 : 2 Corinthians 6
/ Proverbs 16, 17, 18
Day 28 : Ephesians 1
/ Isaiah 5, 6
Day 14 : 2 Corinthians 7
/ Proverbs 19, 20, 21
Day 29 : Ephesians 2
/ Isaiah 7, 8
Day 15 : 2 Corinthians 8
/ Proverbs 22, 23, 24
Day 30 : Ephesians 3
/ Isaiah 9, 10
M C H M G A R D E N E R E E S T
O O O O R E T
H M Y S O C U
Find these words L
L
T M V U N O M O L
O S A V CHILDREN; COM E; F IR E;
K U N H E R N F
C M X Y A E R
GARDEN; M OTHER; J OY;
U D O I
D N E K L
REST; TEM PLE; CR IED ;
E J
I
T
P P
M OUNTAIN; VEIL; H OLY; W L
R S O R T E A P L
Y G R Y E Z I S H E Q J
I
R B T
I
G Z N L
N L
Y O T G U Z P H T A T P V E I
L
A J
H I
E L
U W T G L
Find the hidden message in the first 3 lines
Z E D X U J
E P
A Z Y R B K N V Z
E A C O X P I
SOLOM ON; PEACE ; SOU L
E
C N N B M U E
D F S Z C T F X J
94
I
Q E O H
Q
P M E T D I D M S D X D
M C J
S N E R D L
I
H C W S R
V U L
H T Z K A Y L
X X A D L
Complete this word search correctly and send it to MY World, Private Bag 2003, Krugersdorp, 1740.
WORD WOR W OR O RD R D The first five correct entries will each receive a subscription for three months.
WOR WORD W RD D SEARCH SEAR SEARC S EA AR RCH CH compiled by myna gouws
what’s in a
name?
In Biblical times a person’s name had a lot to do with character and destiny. In some special cases, God changed people’s names... Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel and Saul became Paul. It is interesting to know the meaning, origin and spiritual significance of your name.
Every month we will publish a few names from The Name Book.
Enjoy!
ELIZABETH
RORY / ROREY
ULRIC / ULRIK
Language / Cultural Origin: Hebrew Inherent Meaning: Oath of God Spiritual Connotation: Consecrated Scripture: Romans 6:23 NKJV
Language / Cultural Origin: Gaelic Inherent Meaning: King Spiritual Connotation: Worth of honour Scripture: Psalm 97:11 LB
Language / Cultural Origin: Old German Inherent Meaning: Ruler of All Spiritual Connotation: Regenerated Scripture: Colossians 3:10 NRSV
But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Light is sown for the godly and joy for the good.
(Clothe) yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator..
DENISE / DENI / DENICE
ROY / ROI
NEIL / NEAL / NEALON / NEILL
Language / Cultural Origin: French Inherent Meaning: Favoured Spiritual Connotation: Reborn Scripture: Isaiah 65:17 NKJV
Language / Cultural Origin: French Inherent Meaning: King Spiritual Connotation: Seeker of wisdom Scripture: Psalm 119:34 NRSV
Language / Cultural Origin: Irish Inherent Meaning: Champion Spiritual Connotation: Beloved Scripture: 1 John 4:7 NKJV
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Give me understanding, that I may keep Your Law and observe it with my whole heart.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
BRUCE / BRUSE
DATHAN / DAYTHON
ISAIAH / ISAIA / ISIAH
Language / Cultural Origin: Scottish Inherent Meaning: From the woods Spiritual Connotation: Dignity Scripture: Ephesians 2:10 NASB
Language / Cultural Origin: Hebrew Inherent Meaning: Belonging to the Law Spiritual Connotation: Redeemed Scripture: Ephesians 2:5 NCV
Language / Cultural Origin: Hebrew Inherent Meaning: God is my Salvation Spiritual Connotation: Steadfast Scripture: Matthew 17:20 NKJV
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
F r o m
T h e
N a m e
B o o k
b y
D o r o t h y
A s t o r i a ,
B e t h a n y
H o u s e
P u b l i s h e r s
95