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)

Being angry with God

Have you ever find yourself in a situation where nothing is working? You pray, meditate the Word regularly, but it is as if God is not hearing or seeing anything!! In such moments the question that often comes to our lips is "Why? " Why me Lord? "... 

Recently I had to live this exact situation: my younger brother was sick, very sick to the point where he could not do anything except lying on his bed. When I heard this, of course I turned to God and I began to pray for him. What was happening was that the more I prayed, the more the situation seemed to getting worse... It made no sense to me, I was praying but it was as if God did not even hear me. Then gradually I began to lose my trust in God, and then I got angry at God (it's crazy huh)... So during that time my relationship with God had deteriorated, I had more and more a hard time to pray because I thought it was useless...

One day through a sermon in church I realized that I had no reason to be angry with God. After all, He is my dad and He told me in His word that His plan is to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future. Thinking that this same God would not want my well being by not answering my prayer is just insane.

Unfortunately, this kind of situation happens to many of us. When things do not work the way we want, when we earnestly request something from God and it doesn't happen, we lose patience and the devil takes the opportunity to make us believe lies like God does not hear us, He does not love us or He is punishing us.

As I said these are lies, God loves us so much that He cannot, in any way, want to harm us. How can we think that the same God who loved us enough to die for us will refuse to give us fully what we ask him? The problem is that when these situations occur, we do not understand why God does not answer so we choose to go away from him. But as Christians are we not supposed to walk by faith? Yes, everything revolves around faith and trust in God. Having faith does not mean we will understand what God is doing, why and how He does it. After all He is sovereign and He does whatever He wants and the way He wants. However, one thing is certain: in all His sovereignty God is madly in love with us and His sovereignty will never take us where His grace and love are not overflowing.

Being angry with God does not help, the devil uses that opportunity to lead us further away from God. We have to understand that God loves us no matter what happens to us, what He allows in our lives is always for our good. We may not see it now but we must believe, believe in His love for us even when nothing is going the way it’s supposed to go and not get angry with Him. 

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (NIV)

Romans 9: 15-16

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (NIV)

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (NIV)

Hebrews 13:5

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (NIV)

By:   El-j.