When The Thirst is REAL!

[13] “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, [14] but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

- John 4:13-14

It’s funny that Jesus used the term thirsty because in our urban usage of the word, 'thirsty' means to be way too eager to get something to the point of desperation. When someone says “girl you’re thirsty” that is not necessarily a good thing because that’s just another way of saying you’re desperate usually referring to lusting over a person. The meaning is quite the same when we look at the point Jesus was trying to make to the Samaritan woman.

Ask yourself this question: Am I thirsty? 

Whatever your answer is and whatever your thirst may be, you need to understand that Jesus said your thirst will NEVER be quenched unless you drink from HIM! I can prove to you just how ineffective it is to try and quench a thirst when you don’t go to Christ to quench it FOR YOU! 

When you are thirsty for worldly things, just as Jesus was explaining to the Samaritan woman, you will keep craving those things. Even once you fulfill what you desired, that thirst will never actually be quenched. For example, how many times have we wished to have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Let’s be honest, as young people, we often times think about how lonely we are and start thinking that the solution to fix this problem is hopping into a relationship. Now for those of us who have taken that route in the past, did you finally feel fulfilled? Were you truly happier? Less lonely? More at peace with yourself? Was your thirst ever quenched?......... The answer probably is no! You may have been happier and less lonely at first, but a couple months down the road or even a year after, did you still feel happy EVERY SINGLE DAY when you were with this person? Were there not days that you still felt lonely maybe even lonelier than ever? Could you truly tell me your desire for more had gone away?

This is how it goes… when you’re in a relationship for the sole purpose of being fulfilled, when that fire or that spark dies, you will try to reignite it sometimes in ways that aren't exactly godly... you will think that the reason you are STILL thirsty is because you probably haven't tried 'new' things with your partner... But even after trying that, you will still feel as if it's someone's fault that you still feel empty, either yours or the other persons so it will be a constant blame game. Notice that this is not only true for romantic relationships but also friendships!!! We sometimes start looking at our friends for that sense of completeness and this is dangerous since it's very easy to start having unrealistic expectations for them. Particularly in terms of them having to make you feel happy all the time, make you feel secure, make you feel wanted and make you feel appreciated… that is normal but wrong! Simply because they will never ever be able to measure up to your expectations because there will always be more, more, more that they could be doing. Do you get where I'm going with this? There will ALWAYS BE THAT THIRST!!

Understand that we all have a well or a cup that only Jesus is willing and able to fill to the point of OVERFLOW! He promised the Samaritan woman that if she just drank from Jesus, she would never thirst again. This is what Jesus is trying to make us understand… If only you read His word and hear what He has to say about you, if only you listen quietly to hear how He loves you, if only you obey and walk in His ways, you will see just how satisfying He is. If only you look to Him to fill that void, you will never ever feel the need to bend backwards and go up and down again in search of what and who will make you feel complete or fulfilled.

So ANY, stop looking at your accomplishments for satisfaction. It doesn't matter if you have 3 degrees, a perfect A+ average, or if you're at the top of your class, you will still never ever ever feel fulfilled without Christ. You may even be a sport champion or the MVP of your sports league but never feel fulfilled without Christ… You may even work 3 jobs, drive the nicest car and have all the money, the silver, the gold and diamonds you could ever possibly want and need but still NEVER FEEL FULFILLED. Why do you think so many seemingly happy and rich people are still miserable and some still commit suicide? It's pretty obvious at this point... No one and nothing in this world will give you the true satisfaction and feeling of completeness if not for Christ. These are not my words... JESUS SAID THAT!

The rewards of drinking from Jesus' cup

Do you want to know why it's so great to drink from Jesus’ cup and chasing after Him? Because He will give you what you want either way (if it’s according to His will). 

- You want good grades? Don’t forsake God… don’t rely on your own strength, don’t skip out on church... seek him! Run after him! Look up to him! And He will give you whatever you want… He will add on! 

- You want to be married? There’s no point in trying to look fly everyday yet have a struggled prayer life… seek God! Fall in love with God! Make him your everything!!! And He will add the rest on top! 

- You want to feel financially secure? There is no point in working 3 jobs and a half and be greedy by not giving your tithe… look up to God! Look in His word… Look at what He says about your situation. Trust Him!! And He will be just and faithful enough to give you your hearts desires.

We need to stop wasting our time and energy chasing after anything or anyone that is not Christ… that is what the bible calls “chasing the wind” Ecclesiastes 1-3 and what I call overproduction. In fact, if you’re working SO hard in trying to earn someone’s affection and to attract their attention, or studying SO hard to graduate top of your class for the sole purpose of feeling fulfilled, trying to attain these things without actually looking to be filled by Christ first will just mean you’re working in vain… its meaningless! Considering you will still feel that same void, emptiness and hollowness.

What can we do to avoid being thirsty?

1. ASK GOD TO FILL YOU UP

It’s as simple as telling God that you cannot make it in life on your own… you need humility for this! You need to stop what you’re doing, you need to stop chasing what you’re chasing and stop drinking from the well you’re drinking from and GO to Christ and tell him that you realize that what you’re doing is pointless if you don’t have Him. If you want to stop going to that well you’ve been going to, you need to ask He who asks you for a drink and he will give you living water (John 4:10)

2. STOP GOING BACK TO THE OLD WELL

Once you've had living water, you will not thirst anymore, that’s a fact. But temptation will come! And you need to remember that there is NOTHING SPECIAL at that other well. You have tasted the best water in the world. Water that never runs dry, water so pure and so perfect… why would you want to go back to that nasty old road side puddle? You might see 10-20 people all huddled up around this dirty old road side puddle of water all fighting and struggling to get a single drip of water… It’s ridiculous! Why do you want dirty water in the first place, second, why would you want to fight just to get one drop when Jesus is offering you an ENTIRE WELL! A replenishing WELL!! Unless that puddle of water gives you super powers, which it does not, you should stick to the living water.

Hope, peace, joy, love, laughter, healing and so much more is only found in Christ. Only he can fill up your cup without it ever running out! During your devotion, always self-reflect, and ask yourself daily “Am I thirsty”. If the answer is yes, RUN TO HIM!

By: Vessel Speaker

Matt 6:33 (NKJV)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteous and all these things shall be added unto you

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NKJV)

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

"What's Next?" (pt.2)

How can I know I am making the right decision?

Now that you are certain that God has a plan and a purpose for you, how do you get to finding it out?

I tell God all the time, “God, you have the plan in front of you, I do not know anything, so I’m going to need you to literally SHOW ME the way to go”. I have no way of guessing what program God wants me into or what job offer he wants me to take… but thank God I can ask Him!  

First off, it’s important you have that time with God where you ask Him what His purpose for your life is. You cannot make a move without asking God that question! It’s like being a trumpet player in an orchestra trying to play a note without having the leader telling you which one to play and then showing you how to play it. It’s like dude, what are you doing? You are not the lead nor the boss here. Ask God, it is very simple! Secondly, we must also be ready to listen!!! A lot of us probably will not like what we hear, especially if you’ve been going the WRONG WAY this whole time. You may have taken all the prerequisites to become a doctor but then God goes and tells you to go into marketing… You need to go before God with humility and ready to trust what it is He will reveal.

It is one thing to ask but a WHOLE DIFFERENT THING to LISTEN.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” John 10:27.

Those who know God will follow Him. Where He leads, they will follow. And by ‘knowing’ I mean, they know Him. If you know God, you essentially know without a doubt that He is first of all, faithful and true and knows all things and most importantly, that He has a plan for you just as He has promised in Jeremiah 29:11 and that it is a good plan. 

But if you do not seek God to find out which way to go, you will experience a lot of failures and oppositions and you will lose everything! Because we all know, nothing is secure if it is not in the hands of God. One thing that is important to remember though, that even though you know you are following the will of God, it does not mean things will not go bad… in fact things will go very bad I promise you that!… BUT… because you followed Christ there and He led you to where you are, you can ALWAYS call on Him and use it as leverage and say “God, you brought me here… I did not bring myself here, but you did, and that is why I know that you will bring me through it!” So the only difference between following your own path vs. following God’s is that there isn’t much God can do for you when you put yourself in a situation… what YOU will need to do though is, retrace your steps back to Him.

For others like me, who have asked God what their purpose is, and who know they are on the right path but can see the road coming to a dead end ahead, and who still do not know whether they will have to make a right turn or a left turn in order to continue the journey … keep praying. You won’t find your answers on the web or by staying away from God…

To get to know someone you need to spend time with them correct? The same works with God. It’s communication that will make the relationship stronger and you will start finding out things about Him you did not know before. If you do not communicate with God, how do you expect to know Him and hear Him when He speaks? In order to hear God’s voice, you sometimes need to move in real, real, real close to him and be very still and quiet in order to hear your next instructions. So brother and sister, if that's you right now I encourage you to move in closer, run faster, dive deeper, seek harder… do anything you need to do to be close to Him and once you do get your next instructions ACT ON THEM.

Don’t look at your circumstance. Whatever God tells you, it may seem impossible but it's not your job to figure out how things will work out, you need to just keep walking by faith and not by sight. Even when you do not see any other path ahead, you must always remember the kind of God we serve? Is He not the one who makes a way out of no way!!!???

Whenever I’m driving and someone is shooting me instructions, I like it when they tell me ahead of time when I need to make a right or a left turn… you know, just so I can prepare and make sure the path is clear… but do you know, God does not need to let you know ahead of time when to steer left or right, because whenever He does tell you to make that right or left turn, it DOES NOT MATTER WHOEVER IS IN YOUR BLIDSPOT, He will remove them to make room for you, because when God says it is time to move… you can move!

“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life”.

Isaiah 43:4 (NKJV)

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

By: Vicky (Vessel Speaker)

"What’s Next" (pt. 1)

One chapter just finished… Ok, so WHAT’S NEXT?

I have to start this off by saying, I am going through the same thing you are also going through. It is my first time in a while that I am going through this transition… from high school to college/university and from college/university to the real world. I also have the same questions as you. The same worries and the same anxiety you face, I go through as well. I’m saying this because I need you to know that I do not have all the answers to your questions, however, I still want you to keep reading so you may understand why you need to look to the one who does carry all the answers you may have about your future.

First of: stop stressing!

You may have heard this a thousand times, but please let it really sink in this time: God knew before you were born [Jeremiah 1:5]. I mean like He knew you before you were conceived, before your parents even knew there was a baby in there, God knew, and He also knew exactly who you were and who you were going to become. He planned it all right from the start. Do you seriously think He has known you for all of this time and yet forgot to plan a future for you? Like fam, if He knew you for this long, it means He was preparing something very special for you, and you were born with that plan already written down. So there is no reason for you to ever doubt the fact that God even HAS a plan for you, because I promise you He does. And on top of that, He says in His word, in Jeremiah 29:11, that this very same plan is meant to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future. So not only can you rest assured that God has a plan for you but you can be confident that it’s a good one!

You have a purpose

So if we know this already, why is it that we still doubt God’s plan for our future?

In my case, I start doubting when I do not see the results I want, when I want them. I’m probably not the only person whose family is always on their back wondering what they want to do once one event is over. It’s like they congratulate you for finishing and graduating from school and in the next sentence they’re already pushing for answers on what it is you’re doing next. I mean it’s normal, I do it too. Because in life, you have to move on, once one thing ends, it’s literally on to the next one. But you know, at some point you kind of get tired of speaking out of faith, especially when there isn’t exactly a plan in place and it does not seem promising either. You feel like you’re saying anything to please your relatives and to get them off your back but the truth is, you have stopped believing in your plan because you, yourself, know that your average probably isn’t even close to meeting the requirements to enter into the program or the school you want and you know for sure your resume is not filled with qualifications and experience you want and need in order to obtain your dream job, and you’re most certainly not where you thought you would be when you made that ten, five or even two year plan. That panic and stress you felt by trying to make everything work out probably turned into discouragement, discontentment as well as depression at some point right? I’ve been there… and later on you start doubting yourself, your plan and God and you ultimately start losing faith.

So soon after that, it’s only natural for your prayer life to go from 100 to 5% real quick, and before you know it, your prayer life is non-existent because you’re tired of praying for something that looks impossible or that just seems like God does not want to grant your prayer request for some reason when you know He knows it’s the ONE THING you really want. You then become hopeless to a point where you don’t even find the need to pray to God for anything else.

So doing my devotion and reading the word? – forget that… that’s not happening. Praying for my church? –Not happening either. Thanking God for waking me up? – I would much rather spend 5 hours on social media…

What this is, is shutting God out. And instead of moving in closer to Him so that I can ACTUALLY hear him redirect me, I’m moving further away... much further. That is us giving up on Him before even asking Him what it is He wants us to do. You may have lost patience. You may have doubted. You may have even lost all your faith, but that is the result of one lie of the enemy we all believed… That thought of “I’m never going to reach my goal” or that lie of “Your average will never be high enough to get into the program you want” that we thought was true… All those lies are meant to drive us away from God and from ever finding out our purpose, because the enemy knows, once you know your purpose there will be nothing to stop you! All obstacles will be a joke to you because you know you’re attaining your goal someway and somehow despite the challenges.

God created each and every one of us with a purpose

Do you want to know how I know you have a purpose and future?

Because you woke up this morning. God would not have woken you up this morning if He did not have a plan for you today. Each day is different. He let you see today for a reason. And you should never doubt that God let you live another day just to make your life miserable or to annoy you or even to abandon and ditch you…

Would God ever bring you to it to then leave you?

Do you really think God would bring you through something just to leave you hanging? Are you trying to tell me that God allowed you to finish elementary school by passing through each grade, as hard as it seemed at the time, to then bring you through middle school and help you survive failures, and disappointments and then bring you through high school where you thought you would never make it through alive… just so He can abandon you NOW? Then how could you also think that He could help you through first year, where you got that first bad grade and thought it was over for you, then allow you to pass on to your second year where you really did not believe you were cut out for your program, then God graced you to pass through third year and let you see shaky months and very tough moments and now that He has finally brought you ALL THE WAY to your last and final year… after all of those sleepless nights, those long nights spent in prayers and those days hanging on to God, you think He can just say “this is it, that’s all I had planned for you, sorry son/daughter”? No! Impossible! God is not a quitter!!! [Hebrews 13:5]  What the Lord starts, He must finish! [Philipians 1:6] God did not bring Moses and the people of Israel out of Egypt just to have them stand in front of the red sea and stare at it… and then be captivated and brought back to Egypt…no… He brought them there because He knew He would bring them through it… literally through the sea! God’s plan for them did not stop, the same way God’s plan for you keeps going so long as you have breath in your lungs!

So many examples can prove that God never quits on His children. Look at Joseph, Esther, Abraham, Job, Jesus… literally everyone! God brought them all from point A to point B, then from point B to point C and so on and so forth. Even look at your own life. The times when you thought “This is it, my life is over”… your life never really ended did it? Someway, somehow, you made it through… because God made a promise and He’s not about to break that promise today and not ever. So you cannot ever think that our God could bring you from point A to B but ditch you when it’s time to go from point B to C… nah!!!! It’s impossible…

“God is not human that He should lie, not a human being that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

Numbers 29:19

“I will never leave you nor forsake you”

Hebrews 13:5

By: Vicky (Vessel Speaker)

Have you let go of yesterday?

Are you really starting ‘fresh this new year?’

I think it’s important to check and see whether or not we have truly forgiven the hurt and bitterness of 2014. It is nice to say “New Year new me” and say that 2015 is a new chapter but you can’t open a new door until you’ve closed the other ones or else they will affect you at some point.

The thing people love to do, myself included, is forgetting about something that hurt us. When given a new beginning, maybe it could be the start of a new relationship, a new city, a new school or in our case, a new year, we think we can move on and forget the hurt and the pain that someone or something caused us in 2014. We have the tendency to just shove it in the deepest part of our memory and forget about it. While I agree that it is important to move on in life and that everyone one must carry on and not dwell on the past, I have found to realize that if you ‘move on’ prior to dealing with something that affected you, it will come back someday and affect you. 

Most of the time, we avoid dealing with something maybe because it was a very disappointing period of your life or someone hurt us really bad... Regardless of what the problem may have been, it's important to realize that you need to face it before you move on. Give yourself some time to heal of course, but do not leave that door of hurt open. Forgetting and forgiving are not the same thing and we need to understand that in order to properly move on, it takes forgiveness rather than forgetfulness.  

  

If you’re like me, whenever someone offends you, you take a while to think about how the whole thing went down. You'll dwell on how the issue arose and where you may have gone wrong or in the case of a dispute where the other person may have pushed your buttons. You’ll think about how the person upset you or how they disappointed you or hurt your feelings one way or another and sometimes you might have to cry it out. In my particular case, I’m often quick to forgive, especially when I know I was also in the wrong or when it was a meaningless disagreement, but whenever it is a serious offense, I will take forever! I have to practically argue and negotiate with God about it. There's no doubt the God will always try to convince us to forgive but because of our emotions, pride and bitterness tries we always try to reason with God in trying to explain to him the entire problem, as if he did not already know. It's not that he does not empathize that he tells us to drop the issue, it's actually for the fact that he loves us that he wants to see us live bondage free. However, since we tend to be so bitter and our hearts tend to be so hardened, we refuse to be humble and forgive. It takes some sort of humility to forgive someone who,

1. does not deserve it
2.  is in the wrong
3. has not apologized

 And not only does it take humility to forgive someone, but it also takes LOVE! 

It’s impossible to forgive if not for God

I have to admit that it is absolutely impossible to try and forgive someone on your own. You need the Lord, there is no doubt about it. Because the sort of love that forgiveness requires is not one that you have but that the Lord has. You may find that the people whom you love the most are the hardest to forgive. That is very true. But it's not your love that will forgive them, but Jesus' love. To forgive a sinner who does not deserve it... Idk anyone else but Jesus who has experience with that. 

He has had to forgive such horrible things you and I have done… He took the fall for my sins the same way He did for your sins. Even before we commit wrong, He said we’re forgiven, so long as we confess our sins. Only Jesus can forgive like that.

I don’t know about you but if it were up to me alone, Lord knows I would never forgive anyone. I would probably be friendless and without a family because I’ve had to forgive everyone around me at least more than once. You can be sure that once you understand that you forgive people NOT FOR YOURSELF nor for the other person, but for God, it will become a lot easier. 

The reason we do not forgive for ourselves, like the world says we should, is because we’re selfish and emotional being and we would pick and choose who we forgive based on the degree of the hurt they caused us. If Jesus were to do that to us, we’d all be found guilty because no one has offended God to a small degree, we’ve all done so at a big degree! 

We can’t forgive on account of the offender either because we would think that, "they do not deserve it". If Jesus had that attitude towards us, we would again all be found guilty, because no one deserves forgiveness from the Lord, which is what makes Him Sovereign. So in the end, we forgive because Jesus has forgiven us also.

Incomplete forgiveness

You know how sometimes you think you’ve forgiven someone, but then you see them on Facebook and Instagram all happy and all and you’re kind of bitter or jealous and remember all of a sudden whatever they did or said to offend you? Whenever that happens it means you’re most likely holding on to a grudge because you did not completely forgive. However, when the Lord is the reason why you’ve forgiven, you’ll remember that, “hey this person hurt me, but because the Lord still loves me for doing wrong, I also have nothing but love for this person”. Whenever you feel you still have a grudge against someone, simply go to Christ and ask Him for grace to help you forgive.

Why is forgiveness important

You cannot expect this year to be better than last year, only because you’ve cut off the people or the thing that were the source of your hurt. You need to forgive, that’s the only way you will truly be free from the hurt! There will be some cases where, even after you’ve forgiven, you need to let go of the person. It’s true, remove all the toxic from your life if you feel led to but there’s absolutely no way around forgiveness.

The reason it is so important to forgive, and you will hear it from those who struggled with unforgiveness for a long time tell you as well, it is because it blocks you from a lot of blessings. Being held up by the past, limits you from growing and moving forward. Logically, if you are stuck standing in one doorway, how will you be able to open another door? This is what I am trying to convey to you guys. As young people we deal with a lot of unforgiveness, we can’t let the enemy use that as a blessing snatcher! (Ephesians 4:26-27) If you really want to start on a clean slate this year, this is the only way to do it: TO LET GO OF THE PAST, by forgiving!

What the Lord says about forgiveness

You must not forget either that it is a command from the Lord that we ought to forgive our neighbour for us to also be forgiven by our father (Matthew 6:14-15). Do not fool yourself today in thinking you do not need the Lords forgiveness. The Lord only listens to the prayers of the righteous! (Proverbs 15:29) So the day you will need Jesus, do not cry if He does not answer you, you know what He demands of you.

Whenever you refuse to forgive someone, after all that the Lord has gone through to forgive you of your sins, He considers that hypocrisy and that’s what the Lord was trying to prove in His parable of the Master and his servant (Matthew 18:23-35). God is a fair God, He’s clear when it comes to forgiveness and it’s a fair deal.

If you’re dealing with unforgiveness, confess it to God, not tomorrow or next week but today! The longer you keep waiting to forgive, the more dangerous and harder it gets. Because at that point, you are drifting so far away from God, but God being so merciful, if you only call on His name and confess your sins and forgive the sins of others, He will come find you and bring you near to Him.

Many of us are trying to make things different this year to obtain new results, but one of the main ways to do it is to make sure you’ve let go of yesterday. Every day of 2015, please ask yourself if you’ve forgiven and let go of the hurts and bitterness of yesterday. Do not wait until watch night service of 2016 to forgive everyone on your list. Go before God daily to ask Him for grace and love to help you forgive your offenders. He knows exactly how you feel! He has had to forgive some pretty horrible people, YOU INCLUDED. He bore the sins of the entire world, He has enough love for it and He has given you that love for you to also give to your offenders.

You will not have a bright year if you are still hung up on some unresolved problems. I’m not suggesting you confront the people who hurt you or revisit the issue, just simply have a conversation with God to ask Him to help you release whoever or whatever has hurt you so you may move on peacefully.

Happy New Year, from ANY Ottawa

By: Vessel Speaker

Matthew 18:23-35 (NIV)

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Mark 11:25 (NIV)

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

1 John 1:9 (NIV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Is your role model really a role model?

Are you admiring the right people?

Chances are no. Your role model probably isn’t a true role model.

Is it ever possible to tell whether someone is a good or a bad role model? The answer to that question is probably simpler than you think. If the person you are admiring is promoting or supporting a cause or a lifestyle that is contrary to what the word of God says, perhaps this person promotes violence, adultery or disobedience, etc. then he or she is a bad role model. The critical question though is: Are they driving you closer to God, meaning are they causing you to want to know more about Christ, or are they causing you to drift further away from Him by tempting you to sin and be rebellious? If the second option sounds like them, then they are essentially a bad role model. Other proof of this is if this person manages to make you feel inferior and unhappy with what you have or do not have, as oppose to making you feel confident and better about yourself.

Now the controversial aspect of good vs. bad role model is that no one is perfect of course. It would be unfair to expect a perfect and exemplary behaviour from someone 24/7, especially behind ‘closed doors’. There are times when our role models will make mistakes and do things that shock us. Whether the poor choices they make are intentional or not we are unable to tell their true intentions since only God can look into a persons heart. The Lord however, gave us something we call discernment.

It is our job to use discernment and test all things. We must see if what we support is aligned with the word of God. If their morals do not align with His word, we have no business supporting such role models. But a lot of us Christians still seem to adopt a passive attitude towards many of our role models poor choices and crooked morals. 

Some role models will make mistakes occasionally and will sincerely apologize for them while others will make the same frequent poor decisions and not care about the consequences. We can very easily spot those people yet we excuse their behaviours all the time. A bad role model continuously makes poor choices, knowing the kind of influential power they have on others yet show no signs of remorse or responsibility for their actions. These people know the kind of character that is expected of them but instead choose to be selfish and do what they want without any consideration.

If you have little siblings you’ve probably gone through a situation where your mom or dad punished you for doing something completely irresponsible and used the "you're showing a bad example" card. It might’ve been that you made them lie for you, you wasted food, you disobeyed your parents, or whatever the offence was that you knew was wrong. My mom used to tell me all the time “don’t you know your little sister is going to do the same thing as you”. And I would always say to myself “well no one is forcing her to copy me”. I realize now how selfish that was of me because God put me in a position of leadership and influence, and for me to take that influence lightly was wrong. So I was a bad role model because not only did I show a bad example, but I was also aware my sister was looking up to me. If on the other hand, my little sister was old or wise enough to know that what I was doing was wrong, but still decided to imitate me, my parents would have punished her too. They would still yell at me of course because nothing excuses my bad behaviour simply because maybe someday perhaps, another child will notice my bad behaviour and because they themselves do not know any better (the truth), they will imitate me and also reap the same punishment.

So, according to this scenario, us Christians are like my little sister... We know what is right and what is wrong based on the word God. Because we know the truth, we have no business imitating those who are doing wrong, let alone admire them. 

It’s excellent to admire someone for the good things they do. Maybe your role model is a philanthropist making positive change in the world, though the difficulty of admiring a non-believer and sometimes even a believer, is that you will "fall in love "with them. Not literally but this just means that you support them with no questions asked; everything they tweet, you re-tweet, every song they release, you listen and share, every book they write, you read. You just stop filtering for yourself to see if what they are sharing is true, pure or acceptable to Christ. You come to a point where you just 'assume' that since they usually do right, they will always do right. But that's not true. Man will always disappoint!! It's hard though when you love them so much to see them do wrong... You might give up on them after a while because you're tired of their constant poor choices, but at first you’ll find yourself making excuses for them: “he or she is going through a rough time” and everyone’s favorite “no one is perfect”.

Absolutely no one is perfect, except one! We all know that. So why don't we make Jesus our role model then? He knows who we are to begin with; some of us admire people who are in the public eye who do not even know our names or how to locate our country on a map. But Jesus, He has known you from time, even before you were born! Even so, He loves you with an unconditional love that does not waiver based on what we do or do not do. The people we admire are all flawed. Some would insult us and cut us off if we ever offended them or did anything wrong, yes even the Christians, but The Lord promises us that nothing can separate us from His love, not even the angels yo! Another thing, Jesus is perfect! You can be certain of that. I don’t know about you, but He has never done me any wrong. Think about it, when you look up to Jesus, you will not need to worry about Him letting you down or disappointing you. Sometimes, the celebrities I love, do things that disappoint me and it breaks my heart to unfollow them, but with Jesus, He will give you reasons to get even more people to follow Him instead.

Jesus must be your role model...

You’re probably realizing now that there is no point in having a role model anymore because man are imperfect and will deceive you regardless. Only Jesus can lead you to where you want to be. He’s the only one who can teach you success and righteousness more perfectly than anyone else. He’s also the only one who can give you confidence and convince you that you’re beautiful just the way you are regardless of what the others say. “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Corinthians 3:11). You can’t learn all of these things without having learned it from Christ first, or else it will not withstand. Find your identity in Christ 1^st, it’s important! The Lord will use certain people to either mentor you or teach you certain things but it’s important to always remember that there can only be one role model you can always count on and that is Jesus Christ.

The bible says in 1 John 2:6 that “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did”. To be a Christian means to be like Christ. We are disciples, which makes us followers of Christ. We ought to walk in the ways of Christ or else we cannot say that we are of Christ. I know it is hard to accept sometimes, because we love to live recklessly and not really think about the effects of our actions, but we are witnesses of Christ.

The world, who so desperately needs the love and the hope of Christ to cure the desperation, violence and oppression cries of people, are looking at the church in order to find Him. If we are walking according to another ‘gospel’, they won’t be able to recognize the Lord as the saviour.  

The fact that there is a fine line between admiration and idolization makes it even more dangerous to have someone else besides Jesus as your role model. To idolize someone else is a sin. Know that you are not losing anything, but instead gaining everything by imitating Christ. Make sure you follow Jesus, because as some may follow you, (it may be your little sister or brother, your friend or random people who look up to you), they must be led to finding Christ also for themselves. You will be held responsible for those that you lead astray so we need to quit living selflessly and start asking God for grace to be good leaders.

By: Vicky (Vessel Speaker)

1Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Galatians 3:27 (NKJV)

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

 2 John 1:9-11 (NIV)

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

Do not do it for the Crowd!

Hi y'all hope all of you had a blessed week… I gotta share this once with all of you...

So today's word is from Matthew 9:18
While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before himand said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her,and she will live.”
(Verse 23-24):
When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.


So we all know that Jesus was human just like all of us but the difference was that He did not seek fame, popularity etc. which is what most of us always want. We always seek to be seen, heard, noticed, get applause from people which is not right. Realise that Jesus actually told the crowd to get out before he performed the miracle. If it were most of us, we would have actually let the crowd stay there and watch us and get the fame but May God help us realize: Jesus brought the girl back to life after the crowd was outside.

We should avoid doing things/ministry and other things meant to glorify God for people or the crowd but rather do things for God who sees in secret. In MATTHEW 6:1 Jesus said "Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will LOSE THE REWARD FROM YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN”.

Especially when praying! In MATTHEW 6:6 it says "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The prayer that really matters to God is not the one at church where everyone has their own issues but rather in the secret place in your room where you get to talk to your God alone and He gets to talk to you too.

Last but not least, one major thing we should not do for the crowd is when we go to church. A lot of times we tend to forget that we are before God and we are to dance and praise Him. Most people hardly raise their hands concerned of how they will look to people, others can’t do their dance moves concerned of what people will think…

All these are limitations to stop us from truly worshipping God and we should remember that all that we do should be between you and Your God coz He is the one who will reward you but if you keep wanting fame/and getting so concerned on how people will think of you then, that is the only reward you will ever get from people and you will miss out on the big reward in heaven.

****THE amazing thing is that when you do things in secret just between you and God, the actions will announce themselves without you saying or doing anything like we see in Matthew 9:26. The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside. Realise that Jesus did not go outside and shouted “I raised her!” but He did it while the crowd was outside and the miracle was still heard of in the whole countryside.

So May the Lord help us not to do things for The Crowd/People...but ONLY FOR HIM.

Amen! 

By: God’s servant

While You Wait...

What are you supposed to do while you wait for your miracle?

So you’ve prayed. You’ve fasted. You’ve cried. You’ve meditated on the word. You’ve done everything! Technically you’re supposed to receive your breakthrough or your miracle shouldn’t you? Well what happens when you don’t? Do you ask again, do you WAIT or do you walk away and give up? 

Other peoples testimonies are rolling in and you might start wondering "umm... well what about me God, have you forgotten me or....?” Did you know, we often miss out on seeing our blessings each time we do that? We're so focused on that one area of our lives where we think we need a breakthrough, when you've received a breakthrough somewhere else, that ended up being more blessed than the one you were primarily focused on. Per example, imagine someone who desires for the Lord to clear their debts and to help them financially. They're probably thinking God will do it a certain specific way like 'supernaturally' pouring funds into your account (what I secretly hope for every time) or winning the lottery ticket, but instead they get promoted, out of nowhere, or get a better paying job and that ends up being their miracle: they can pay off their debts AND have extra money for whatever else. God has countless ways to accomplish one thing and because our human minds are so limited, we tend to limit what God can do, we put Him in some sort of box and think there's only one solution to a problem but He always proves us wrong and surprises us when the blessing sneaks up on us out of nowhere. So wait!

What happens while you're waiting for that blessing? There's no doubt you might get confused at some point. You will be unsure if this new ‘left or right turn’ you took is the right one, or unsure of where God is taking you. I know that sometimes it frustrates me, as it happens often (it's always like my mind is saying: take a left turn here, oh no turn right instead, go straight, reverse, make another left...) and that makes me question and doubt everything all the time. I may even come to a point where I'm wondering if I am cut out to be a Christian, if I can really win the battle and if I'm really victorious, because sometimes I feel too weak and wonder if the little faith that I have is even enough to please God. But we shouldn't worry about that, the whole point is to keep our eyes on Christ. (I look up to the hills to see where my help comes from, it comes from no one but The Lord) Whenever I feel discouraged and doubtful, I just keep serving and I keep worshiping and praying, and little by little I start seeing it again… my purpose… the reason why God needs me to keep going. His strength reboots me and His grace replenishes me right when all that I am, decides to fail. 

So don't give up when you start feeling that way okay? Keep going, He will save you right when you're about to let go. His arm is NOT too short to save you. The point is to trust God's timing so do not look at where you need the miracle or at how big your problem is but instead, look to God. That miracle might just be right underneath your nose, but because you are looking left and right, YOU DO NOT SEE IT. Stay focused and keep going. The waiting room can be boring, enduring, lonely and empty. I don’t know why you’re still in there and why it’s taking so long. His ways are not our ways, but surely His ways are always better. Keep praising Him in the hallway. Because if you choose to walk away now, you never know, maybe you’re next and then you will miss your turn and have to go right back at the end of the line. Don't fail your test. Pass the test and then share your testimony! 

I know this because, just like you, I am going through the same thing. I'm waiting for God to do something miraculous in my life and while I feel like my prayers are just hitting the roof, I know now is not the time to give up. So chin up bro and sis! Do not get discouraged! The same God who saved you, the same God who loved you, the same God who has blessed you in the past, is the same God who is working out a miracle in your favor right now! Be patient, and wait, but most importantly do not lose your faith. Because once you do, you will no longer be shielded by God and you will become the devils prey.

Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

By: Vicky (Vessel Speaker)