![]() On waking this morning, my mind was thinking about so many broken friendships and relationships among Christians. I was praying for healing and restorations, and committing everything to the Lord for His capable and restoring hands to heal and restore, and unite his Church. The prayer of Jesus for the disciples and the church, towards the end and before his crucifixion was “that they might be one as We are”. John 17:11 (NKJV) Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. I was thinking that in heaven, how will all the various Christians who have fallen out of friendship with one another here on earth, get on in heaven. As soon as I asked that question, I felt I hear the Holy Spirit said, ‘they will all live together in heaven’. In heaven there are no hatred, envy, jealousy, competition or strive. Hence as candidates for heaven it’s important that we all learn to get along while here on earth. The person you resent, hate or are angry with might be your neighbor in heaven. In heaven you can’t choose who you like or love, you have to love and like everyone. As people, each and every one of us is unique and different. Even identical twins have different personalities, likes, preference, taste and more; hence it’s important that we are patient and kind towards one another. As Christians and believers in Christ it’s important that we focus on what unite us which is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the one who died and rose again for our justification, the one who took away our sins and died for the sins of the whole world. For me I had to put into practice what I learn in my quiet time with the Lord, so I decided to visit St. Matthew’s Church. I attended the service, the central team of the sermon was about Mary & Martha, and how Martha though passionate about serving was sometimes angry with Mary her sister for not helping her. The nature of the service was quieter than what you will experience in a Pentecostal or Charismatic Church, but I found the service and the people very warm, welcoming, friendly, happy and joyous. I went there without any prejudice, pre-judgment, or expectations; as I approach the entrance to the Church, I said quietly to the Lord, “I am glad to be in the presence of the Lord and worship the Lord among his saints, and I surrender myself to you Jesus”. This act of trusting and surrendering to God gave me a different perspective, I find myself enjoying myself, the worship, the people, the sermon and everything. Jesus is clearly the central focus of the service and of what this Church was about. When we get to heaven, I don’t believe we will have wall of divisions between various denominations, it’s going to be One body of believers in Christ, One Lord Jesus, One God the Father, One Holy Spirit, One body of Christ. If heaven is truly a place you desire to live eternally with God, I will encourage you to start practicing the love walk, remove every criticism and judgment of other Christians and believers in Christ, and truthfully judge no one, but learn to walk in love. Jesus said Judge not. Luke 6:35-37 (NKJV) 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Do Not Judge 37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
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![]() The best antidote to stress, worry, fear and anxiety is joy. When I say joy, I mean real joy that flows and bubbles from your heart. No matter how bad things may look or sound, there are still things you can be thankful for. No matter how difficult a problem or challenge may seek to weigh you down, you can respond and bounce back with a big smile; smile and laugh, and say to the problem 'you are not going to steal my joy. I choose to rejoice today and always'. How we see things matters. Whenever you encounter a problem, do you see: a huge mountain, a little problem, a small challenge or a huge problem. The way you see it will determine your reaction to the situation. Hence its important that we shift our focus, and shrink the problem to a very small size. No matter how small or huge a problem is, you are still bigger than the problem, and you can speak to the problem to be removed. Place your focus on the goodness of the God. God is bigger than all of your problem. He promised to may a way for you, even when there seems to be no way. Trust God completely. Have a Carefree Attitude On the practical side of things, after you have prayed and done all you know to do, just cast ALL of your cares to God, not just some of your cares, but ALL OF YOUR CARES. Cast everything over to God because He cares for you. Have a carefree attitude. Having a Good Laugh One good kick start to having a good laugh, is to watch a good clean comedy program, or play with friends and family, get active in sport to shift your focus from problem to getting fit. Then look at yourself in the mirror and smile, remember something that you did in the past that gave you so much fun and just laugh. Positive Affirmations Whenever anxious or problematic thoughts tries to show up, just say "I cast my cares over to God, He cares for me, I refuse to worry of be anxious, my situation is a million times better than what someone else is facing right now, I am grateful for my life, I am grateful I can speak, I am grateful I can walk, I am grateful I have a beautiful face to smile with, I am grateful for my children (if you have children), I am grateful for what I have, I am grateful Lord" Praise & Gratitude When we release praise and gratitude for what we do have and for what are going well in our lives, it shifts our focus from sorrow, sadness, regret, to a sense of anticipation, and of looking up to the big GOD who is greater and mightier than any challenges or problems. Reciting Scriptures Psalms 121 is one of my favorite scriptures, when you read and recite this scripture at least 3 times a day, your sense of hope and joy will begin to rise. When you know and are assured that God has your interest at heart and he is watching over you, this makes all the difference to how you feel. Psalm 121 New King James Version (NKJV) God the Help of Those Who Seek Him A Song of Ascents. 1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Quiet Meditation Find a quiet place where you can meditate. Repeat the following quietly to yourself in quiet manner and in a relaxed state:
Take as much time as you need to meditate and quiet your soul before the presence of God. The more you practice this, the lighter the burden feels and the freer you personally will feel in your mind and emotions. You can take your time of meditation further, by doing what God told Abraham to do, begin to see the answers to your prayers manifested, connect your mind and emotions to the answered prayers and give thanks to God for it. Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Genesis 15:5 - 6 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 13:16 -17 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Ephesians 2 : 4 - 6 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: The Assurance of God's Love - You are not an Accident, You are Special to God. By Esther Simeon.7/2/2013 ![]() Over the years and ages, God has made several attempts to communicate to us of His unfailing love for each and every one of us, in so many different ways. One of his primary vehicles of communication has been through the scriptures. Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When we look at the story of God’s relationship with Abraham and his offspring, we see the demonstration of the unfailing love of a covenant making and a covenant keeping God. The scripture is God’s love letter to humanity, it is timeless, ageless, ever relevant to past present and future; it radiates with the love, life and the power of God. Our understanding of God is primarily based on what we’ve heard or read from the scriptures. Isaiah 43:1 is a love letter from God to us, hence it’s important to personalize it. Here is a prayer of declaration and affirmation, read it, declare it, believe it and experience it. (God said whatsoever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive it, and then you will have it). God created me, I am not an accident, I am perfectly and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God. God formed me, before I was formed in my mother’s womb God knew me, I am special to God. If God said, fear not, then I have nothing to fear, because I have God the Father, He is watching over me, like a mother will watch over her baby, I am save and secured, I can rest and relax. I am redeemed by God, I not trying to get redeemed, I am already redeemed by God, I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. God calls me by name, God knows me personally, I am unique and special to God. I have a special place in the heart of God. God is mindful of me. God is thinking about me, I am loved and accepted. My relationship with God is like a love of a father to child relationship, He cares for me, He takes care of me, He provides for me, He protects, defends and watches over me always. He is a loving Father, He never sleeps when He’s watching over His children. (He that watches over Israel shall never slumbers or sleeps) What we say to ourselves is more important than what anyone else says, what we say is a narration of what we believe, and we tend to believe more in what we say and meditate upon. So when it comes to our relationship with a loving Father God; we should practice reading his love letters to us in an empowering and affirmative way. When you do this and it becomes a lifestyle, your sense of safety, assurance, protection, love will increase significantly. You will move from the outer court to the inner court. You will develop a sense of confidence that you can approach God and He will give you, His full 100% attention. You can trust God with the most intimate and personal issues and he will never betray your confidence. You can commune and talk to God in a personal and intimate way, e.g. a silent prayer, a gentle whisper, a simple request for help and guidance, a call for wisdom and much more. You can rely on and trust God, He is faithful; He never ever fails. He is a dependable and reliable Father. You have a place in the heart of God that can never be replaced by anything or anyone else. You are not an accident, you are special to God. Peace is one of the most priceless things a person can have. You can have a great family, children, a great wife, a great husband, a great career, money, cars, houses, and all the wealth the heart can ever desire, but if you lack peace, it will be impossible to enjoy anything you have.
There are many people who appear on the outward as if they have it all together, but inwardly they are experiencing various forms of fears and emotional turmoil, due to a lack of peace. God wants you to have peace, real peace, the peace of God that is beyond all natural human understanding. ( Beyond human ability to disturb and beyond Satanic ability to disturb it) Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It is the supernatural presence and harmony with the Prince of Peace in your life that can produces peace. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. When you have real peace, you will experience the absence of fear, worry and anxiety. ![]() Laughter is of great benefit to the human soul. It eases tension and stress, it releases endorphins that give us a feel good factor, it produces healing chemicals in the body. Science have confirmed what the bible has said all along about laughter. A merry heart is like medicine. Be merry, be happy, be joyful, and be healed. Learn to laugh, don’t take life or anything too serious. When facing challenges or difficulty just laugh and say “this too shall pass, its only a matter of time”. Develop an habit of thanksgiving to God, always focus on what is going well in your life and begin to thank God for it. If you see what is not going as planned in your life begin to thank God and say “Lord I thank you that there is no mountain too high for you to level down, there is no valley too low for you to raise up, I know you will remove every mountain and obstacles standing in my way, I know you will raise me up from any valley of defeat, I am thankful that you are working this situation out for me, and it will turn out for my benefit”. Then express an Ahh ahh ahh laughter with a big smile on your face. It eases the tension, and gives you perspective that things are not as bad as they may seem, it could have been worse, if not for the mercies of God, and God grace is more than sufficient to see you through and deliver you from every problem. Whenever the enemy try to get you focused on the negative, just laugh out loud, and repeat the phrase or add your own. The Lord of the breaking through is working this out for me. Proverbs 17: 22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones ![]() When was the last time you said I love me. Many people rarely think about the need to love themselves the way God intended. If you don’t love yourself, you will find it difficult to love anybody else. Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD. We generally treat others the way we treat ourselves. When you learn to treat yourself right, you will learn to treat other people right. How can we love our neighbor as ourselves if we don’t love ourselves in a proper healthy way. Simple love boosters you can practice and repeat daily:
Then mention your name and say I love you (insert your name). For example, if your name is Susan, or Mary, or Andy, or Ben, say: I love you Susan; or I love you Mary; I love you Andy; or I love you Ben; and so on. As you practice this consistently, you will be amazed at how easier you will take things with yourself; you will treat yourself in a kinder and gentler way; which will compel you to treat others in the same way you treat yourself. The compulsive habit and need for self crucifixion, self accusation, negative self talk will totally diminish or go down to zero. Give it a try, and let me know how you feel after a week of repeating this exercise. The greatest commandment in both the old testament and the new testament is the commandment of love. If you love somebody, you will not hate them, accuse them, mistreat them, resent them, be hostile to them. So if you love yourself, you will not hate, accuse, mistreat, or resent your own self. Let love be the first word on your lip when you wake up, say:
Scriptural References: Matthew 5:43 Thou shalt love thy neighbour Matthew 19:19 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:39 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mark12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. |
Esther Simeon
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