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GOD’S PROMISES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING” LAMENTATION 3;23

“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” - Walt Disney


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Faith & Doubt Cannot Live Together : Reflection by Aba Mpesha at the beginning of lent on March 5, 2014






We read from the gospel of Mark 11:20-26 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

 Also we read in James 1:2-8 about Faith and Doubt:  “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts, is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

  We also read in Hebrews 11:1 that, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

William Sloane Coffin put it this way “Faith isn’t believing without proof, it is trusting without reservation.”

As we begin this lent period, I am reminded we are called to LIVVE OUT FAITH IN GOD.

The following are some of the things I am learning from the above passages:

       I must deal with mountains that obstruct me from achieving what God has ordained for you to achieve. The starting point should be to ask the question; what have I been ordained to achieve and what are the mountains on my way? Is the mountain Hate, Racism, Slavery to anything, Poverty, Addiction, or Crumbling Marriage. I need to tell the mountain “move in the name of Jesus”. It will move as Jesus promises in Mark 11:22 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” I can testify how many times Jesus has removed the mountains in my way  in the last one year

     I need to remove the doubt because it is the root cause of disobedience. When one removes doubt and allow faith to come in it opens the door of the possible.  I can testify that when doubts were removed last year, we prayed for the healing of my wife’s macular degeneration of her eyes, and she got healed completely to the surprise of doctors.
  
     Know that no answer usually aligns you to God’s will.
      
 Forgive everybody who wrongs you.  A person who cannot forgive another person inevitably has never experienced forgiveness of his/her sins. I can testify to the fact that when I am harboring a grudge against another person, my mood is always bad and I cannot think objectively.
        
If I pray in God’s will, I will always get an answer to what you pray for in God’s time (1 John 5:14). In most cases, my failure has been to know God’s time.
      
 I am learning to Pray Until Something Happens (PUSH).  In other words, I need to pray with expectancy. I have learnt not tell God how big my storm is; I am now telling the storm how big my God is. When I forget this strategy, I wallow if fear.
 My Motto during this lent period is-“Begin to operate as if it is done”

Be blessed brethren during this lent period!

 
Rev Dr Aba Mpesha

Saturday, March 8, 2014

NEVER GIVE UP;





One thing which is common to all mankind is that we   stumble in many ways.The Canadian actress Mary Pickford said “To fall is not to fail, unless you fail to get up again”. 

Solomon in Proverbs 24:16 said that for a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, 

in sports a true coach believe that “If you don’t fall/fail while practicing then you are not learning enough to be a true champion”.

The Bible says: The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14 


Romans 11:2; If we follow the ways of God but fail in some part of our life God will be there to assist us back on our feet: 

Therefore people of strong faith are just as liable to fail as their weaker companions, and often they fail in a most appalling way.  As the book of Corinthians 10:12 teaches us, So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall

The sign of failing: ( Giving Up)

  •  acting in Selfishness, 
  •  Straying from the God’s way

The sign of success:
  •  fear of the Lord 

  • Never giving  up!

  •  believe that God is still at work, 

  •  ask for help from God through prayer. 

  • be  strong and courageous.

James 4:10  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. As long we believe that God is eager to give us forgiveness and strength, the only way to lose is to give up.

Therefore pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

ASH WEDNESDAY 05 March 5, 2014

Ash in Christian philosophy is a signed of repentance;
In Scripture do you remember Job, after having endured his trials and tribulations, repents before God with dust and ashes?  While Jeremiah, rolled in ashes as sign of repenting to God.
Ashes remind us that all things are temporary in our world, and we will all, one day, become ashes and dust. In the book of Genesis, God tells Adam, “Dust you are, and to dust you will return.” 
As we start this first day of Lent we need to remember that our days are numbered. Therefore Ash Wednesday reminds us that:
  • First t we are dust, and to dust we will return.  
  • Life is temporary  and short.
  • Second we are fallen, and we can’t get up on our own.  We need God’s help ash create a bridge of forgiveness to receive God’s grace and love.
  • Third this is a period of prayer, fasting and self-denial. From  now until we celebrate Easter we are required to  spend more  time alone with  God.
  • Fourth it is a time of fasting and crying for salvation  to eternal life.
 
Jesus caution that: “...when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
What is special with Ash Wednesday:
  • Lent It’s not an easy journey. 
  • It’s a scary journey because it means we are giving up control to God. 
  • if we can give God our life the reward is greater than anything we can buy.
  • Lent is  repentance which leads us to question our own motives and actions.
As we are ready to start this salvation journey let us join millions who prayed this prayer:
“Lent is about remembering who we are and who God is and what is really important in this life that is – in the face of all eternity – so short and precious.
 Father, tonight we are starting our journey. Our journey to further deepen our relationship with you. Tonight we acknowledge the deep yearning within our souls to be reunited with you. Tonight, O God, as we offer our confessions to you, as we take the mark of the cross on our bodies, may you place your mark in our lives. 
Bring us ever closer to you, Lord. Help us to see the love you have for us and for your creation, allowing us to share this love with those we meet on our journey. Help us to be pure in heart so when people look at us, they do not see our own desires, but may they see Jesus Christ and the love you have for all your children.
 Help us to see, O God, that we are doing here tonight is worthy of your blessing as we so deeply want to know you more and more. Tonight, O God, may we start this journey, a journey that will continue our whole life long, until we enter the glory of your presence. Father, for all these things we give you glory, praise and thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus Christ. 
Amen”