Uriah the Hittite - 2 Samuel 11

An Undivided Heart - Psalm 86:11

Love Your Neighbour

Spiritual Assessment

2022 will soon say goodbye and we will never see it again.  For many companies, this is the time they do their end of year assessment to see the performance of their workers. 

What was my performance be this year?  What have I accomplished for God or for myself and for those surrounding me since the beginning of the year?  How important is a self-assessment and spiritual assessment to think about our coming Kingdom of God.

One time, I visited a family and this man was quite large and he stood on the scales to weigh himself around the end of the year.  He was trying to suck in his stomach and his wife said, that won’t help it won’t change anything.  He said, “I’m sucking my stomach so I can see the numbers on the scale”.

In life, what we see is not necessarily what others see and what they think may be different to our thoughts. People will judge us.  The end of the year means we will finish the race for this year but we can come back to God to say thanks to God, challenges were there.

Phil 3:13-14,

According to writer of Philippians, it is important to focus all energies on one thing…forget the past but look forward to what lies ahead.  The past is covered with a lot of things, battles, crying, challenges.  That past is gone and has good/bad memories, it is now time to focus on what lies ahead.

What are your projects for the coming year?  What are you planning for next year?

My mum used to say, one year older.  She was afraid of getting older.  She says, “When I get to 90, I will lose my strength, mental capacity and joy for living”.  That is what she projects for the coming year.  I tell her to have a good perspective, you are getting close to Jesus.  Forget about your body and feelings that try to pull you back.

I’ve never seen a woman who tries to fight getting old like my mum.  If my son says grandmother, she will say, “I’m not your grandmother” because she wants to say she is younger.  Blessed if you are young in Jesus so you can serve him, obey him.

Phil 4:6-7, don’t worry about anything.  What makes you worry in your life?  Why bother to worry?  Why be shaken for things that will pass.  Sometimes we fear what we shouldn’t and worry about things that we shouldn’t but we stop ourselves from worrying about eternal life that is coming.

Instead of worry, pray.  Tell God about your problems, your ups and downs.  Pray means to speak to God.  According to my life, when I worry too much, I lose.  That is the principle.  You lose your joy, strength and ability to do things.  Some feel they can’t make it and start to search for people to intervene.

If you think of all the negativities, you will lose your mind.  When you worry, you think about all the negatives and not the positives.  When you worry you lose trust in God.  Can God allow this?  Can such a thing happen in my life?

The Word of God says to tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done for you.  Sometimes we don’t know our needs.  If can pray from morning to evening to be tall, even if I pray for 50 years, it will never happen.  “God make me white”, it will never happen.

Do you know your needs?  Do you know what your heart, body, or thoughts need?  If you don’t it will be impossible to tell God your needs.  Our repetitive prayers are not our needs.  Identify our needs first and tell God about it.

After knowing your needs, think about what God has done for you.

Once in my class, as kids, our teacher told us to say 10 things of what God has done for us.  We were all unable to find 10 things.  When you pray every day, do you count all that God has done for you throughout the day or do you just say, thank you God for everything.  Take your time and thank God one by one.  E.g. I woke up this morning, you gave me strength, you gave me sleep, I rested, it was so good, thank you for nice dreams,

Children can wake you up but another thing to be grateful for, I have children, they woke up, they speak to me.  Levi will come to me first thing in the morning and he will want to speak to me.  Sometimes I feel like saying “go away” but it is so nice.  When children grow up, they won’t have time for their parents anymore.

Every time we must glorify God and there are millions of things that you can bring in front of God.  You can easily pray for 2 hours.

Phil 4:6-7, then you experience God’s peace.  To get God’s peace is so simple, it’s just to come to God and tell him everything.  I don’t have to worry, tell God what I need and then thank him.  That is the formula for peace of God.  If you didn’t have peace, it is maybe because you worried, you didn’t tell God your need.

“Exceeds everything you can understand” and “guard your heart and mind as you live in Jesus”.  What can guard your mind?  According to Bible, you need peace of God which is like the watchman of your heart & mind, it will guard and protect you.

Who is a guard?  Sometimes I see big people in this world who have people following them (security guards).  They will even spread throughout the crowd.  A few weeks ago, a man threw eggs at the king of England.  In less than 5 seconds, he was already caught and Charles carried on like nothing happened.  Different to George W Bush who dived when someone threw a shoe – he feared.

Charles knew that he was protected by guards and he let it go without getting angry.  No matter what hits your life or how people talk against you, the peace of God is there to guide you.  Don’t bother yourself and ask, how did they treat me like that?  That is not your job.  The guard that God has given you is peace.  Your mind needs to be protected to not react in a way that will harm you.

Luke 13: 6 (parable), God has given to us a lot of things but maybe he came last year to see what we produced but didn’t see any fruit.  Maybe he is like, “Jesus, you should cut down this tree.  I gave to him/her everything and they don’t produce”.  We have to pray and tell God everything.

Most of the time I pray to God and I encourage you to pray to God too,  “I don’t do all that you are expecting me to do, I need help, fertilise my body, mind, heart, desire.  Add some fertiliser in me so I can be productive.  If you don’t fertlise me, I won’t’ produce and I will be the same for 20 years.  Change me, transform me”.  Jesus will plead on your behalf to give one more year.  Tell God where you failed, if you didn’t have enough strength to read Bible or pray, tell God.  Tell God about your situation and where you had problems.

One year I was in a place where the only food they had was rice and snake.  I’ve never eaten a snake before.  I started to think about eating a snake and how they act.  It was a challenge.  I comforted myself, I will tell them to give me rice separate from the snake.  They mixed the whole thing together. because I was hungry, I had to shut my mind and just open my mouth.  To chew that food it was hard to swallow it but because or hunger, I had to accept.

Have you had a hard situation that you found hard to accept?  What do you do?  Do you give up? No, you can’t give up, it is a path of your life and without passing through there, you won’t make it.  E.g. Joseph without going to jail could not become who he was in Egypt.  When you cross a hard situation and you feel like you are incapable of continuing, come close to God and talk to him.

Everything will come to pass even your problems.  Focus on your present and future.  In a movie theatre, once you sit down and the movie starts, everyone will look to the screen and concentrate.  We avoid to listen to others in the room next to us.  The room can be dark but our eyes are focusing on the light.  If someone talks, you tell them be quiet.  You forget that you sat in the seat for 2 hours without moving. 

Do you look at the Kingdom of God coming in front of you without being distracted?  Tell God to give to you the ability to concentrate on the Kingdom of God that is coming.  Where are your eyes?  If your eyes are focusing on Jesus, then all that surrounds you, won’t bother you.

At the end of the movie, every person will give a different story of the movie.  When we don’t concentrate on what is important, we miss the opportunity and when the opportunity passes, that is all. 

When you are at the airport, you can be eating, talking, reading but as soon as you hear your flight number, you will listen.  Do you know your flight number with God?  Jesus is calling us to go to heaven and we are getting ready.  It is time for us to check in.  If you don’t know your flight number for God, you will miss your flight.  If you don’t show up on time, the flight will take off without you. 

How many times have you missed the blessings of God because you delayed or you were distracted?  E.g. my boy Ken.  He was traveling to US a few weeks ago.  We drove from home and just after Huntly I said to Ken, do you have your passport?  “Oh no.  I left it behind”.  We had to go back home.  Now we are in hurry.  Sometimes boys won’t leave behind their PlayStation but can leave their passport.

We got to the airport and he left.  Ken when you arrive, please send us a message and photos.  Nothing.  “Ken, did you arrive?”  “Oh yeah, I’m here”.  “Ken, take photos”.  He didn’t.  Sometimes we do the same to God.  We give promises.  He takes care of us and sends us somewhere with instructions but we don’t do it. 

When it was time to go to airport with Ken, he didn’t even plan how to get to airport.  How are you getting there?  “I never thought about that”.  “Who is picking you up from airport?”  “I don’t know”.  On his way back home, he didn’t even think about who will pick him up.

We spiritually are a new generation acting different to Moses and Abraham. Moses and Abraham would say we are mucking around with God and playing with God as a joke.  We are this careless generation.  We have our own priorities.

Let the end of the year be a good year for us and 2023 be a blessed year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trusting God

The Value of Friends

Psalm 37:23-24 - Climb the steps

 Today we are going to talk about Psalm 37:23-24

If a person who trusts in God walks around, God watches their steps and controls those steps.  It doesn’t mean you won’t stumble but He is there to hold your hand.  Life is about steps and every day is a new step in your life.  Most of the time steps are challenging.  Before I go to the next stage, I must go through the steps and if the steps are deep, I might have to press my body to go higher.

It's for a good reason we have steps to go higher and if you don’t want to climb those steps then you won’t reach the highest level.  Climbing steps you must start with one step after another.  You can’t jump from the first level to last one. 

Only your feet can climb the steps.  Your arms cannot do it and your legs must accept to carry the entire weight of your body.  If your legs don’t accept to go up, your body can’t do anything.  What is the importance of legs in your life?  They have a role to play.  That role is not small compared to the hands.  There are things that legs can do but hands can’t.  Your legs have 3 parts:

(11. Feet which helps you to balance your legs

(22. Joints (knees and ankles) that make your legs move in different directions and help you to climb. 

(33. Sometimes your legs can tell you that they can’t do it alone and you need the help of your brain, eyes and the support of whole body.  When you fall downstairs, your hands will try to stop your fall. 

God has been teaching us about steps and they are very important to understand.  We as human beings love everything to be easy so we can enjoy life.  I want money, a big house, I want joy without difficulty, I want these things just coming to me without working hard.

When you climb, you feel pain in your muscles, joints and some people are attacked by sickness that attacks their joints so their body feels heavier than their legs can support.  Because it is a matter of life and we all want to be happy, successful, and we just want a good easy way.

When Jesus came, they wanted to crown him king but Jesus did not accept that crown of being a king at that time, “I’m a King, yes but I have to go through some steps of life first and I will only accept my crown after my crucifixion and then I will become the redeemer and saviour of the world”.

The same Jesus that was born didn’t perform miracles from day one, He took His time and at the right time He did things.  Do we like to wait for the right time or do we try to impose on God our time?  Do we accept God’s plan and accept to go through the steps first?

We have stages so people who are seated can see us who are on the stage.  Those on the seats will follow you who are on the stage with their eyes and ears.  When there is dark, everyone (even insects) follow the light.  We must ask ourselves, “Am I the light of this world?”

Jesus was supposed to be crucified before obtaining the crown.  You can’t know the importance of health until you have been sick.  When you are hungry, you can appreciate food.  Back home, there are families that have turns to eat so some will get to eat on a Monday but not on Tuesday while others in the family eat on the Tuesday.  Many families don’t have water and we must walk many miles to obtain water and that water is very dirty but to boil the water it is many miles to obtain wood to create fire.  Many people die from the dysentery.

Children suffer as in world vision advertisements and they have to go through those steps in life.  This beautiful country we live is a step in our lives and it is a blessing.  Many others don’t have what we have but many New Zealanders complain, “Oh this government, oh we are suffering”.  Many people from other countries are desperate to live in this country.  This is your step, a privilege to live in this blessed country.

Sometimes I take the pride to give my New Zealand passport when I travel.  Do you know the value of your country?  We have one of the most powerful passports and nationalities of this world.  You have this big step that God has given you where bribery is not possible.  Go to other countries and you will see that laws don’t respect justice because of corruption.  Students must bribe to get their grades.

God continues to raise up New Zealand and take care of us and gives us what we want.  What don’t you have here?  You have everything.  You eat when you want, sleep when you want, no restrictions, no fear.  That is one of the steps of life physically that God has given you.

The prodigal son asked for his blessing, his inheritance to enjoy life.  Blessings were with the father and the father said, “You should wait for this you are too young,” but the son said, “No I want it”.  Sometimes I think, can I give my car keys to Eden to drive my car?  I can’t because Eden is only 10 years old and she will crash.  She must wait for the right age even if she cries, I will tell her, “No you must wait and then learn to drive and then pass a test”. 

Once Eden passes the first test, she must drive with someone next to her and then after the next test, she will be able to drive with restrictions, she must only drive to 10pm and with no passengers.  Then she must go through another test to get her full licence.

Where are we in the Kingdom of God?  God is asking us to learn first before He gives us what we ask.  Do we read the Word of God to know the rules of driving to heaven?  Do we move on?

I met with a person in Hamilton who has been driving on learners’ licence for the past 30 years.  One time the police asked for their licence.  The police said, “You don’t have the right to drive”.  He justified it saying he didn’t have time or money to sit the test.  For 35 years he didn’t stop and think, “This is important for me and I need it”.

Another member of my family wanted an international licence and he gave the testing station his restricted licence.  We came here together and he’s been driving forever.  He wasn’t able to get the international licence because he didn’t have a full licence.

God has given us everything that you need and now it is for you to make a step to learn what is coming after this life.  If you want to enter Kingdom of God, go to church, read bible, learn about the steps to enter the Kingdom of God.  We prefer to watch Netflix or YouTube or Facebook but not even 3 minutes to thank God.  We are in a journey, we must move forward and climb the steps.  If we don’t we will stay in the same place and others will pass us

Are you waiting there expecting God to come you or are you moving forward?  Our strength as human beings is being intelligent which means we can even kill a lion before it can reach us with a gun and it will die with only 1 bullet.  Human beings can make a lion to sleep with a dart.  We use our intelligence mostly to create material things.  Why don’t we use our intelligence to come closer to God?  Our time on this earth is very short.

We are going to face eternity.  Where are you going to live in eternity?  Many talk about retirement and where they will live but what about after life on this earth.  That is why God is telling us that He will hold our hands because we stumble sometimes.  We must accept to raise up our hand and ask for God to hold our hand.

Sometimes children try to take the child’s hand and the child refuses.  Once we saw a child refused to take the father’s hand so the father left the child there.  We sometimes do that to God.  He is ready to move forward but we stay behind.

How often (like the prodigal son) do we tell God, “This is what I want to do with my life, God bless me”.  You take it and when you come back to God, what are you going to bring back with you?  He gave you everything so when you come back, what will you present? 

If your brain doesn’t tell your legs to move, they won’t move.  Make your brain to communicate to your legs.  How good are you in managing your intelligence and making good decisions for your eternal life and deciding where you want to be tomorrow?  Some people are smart in reaching money or in maths but not smart in searching eternal life.

Are you smart to tell God you are His child and proud to come back home to God?  When you are in your home, you feel free.  When you have a shower you won’t be ashamed to be naked in water and you are free to sing or dance.  In the water of life, are you free to present yourself naked and sing to God or do you feel it is a burden for you?  Do you feel like postponing the Bible study even though you have nothing else to do? 

Should we take a break when we are planning our eternal life?  We sometimes disappoint our God.  My young boy a few days ago went out and a person rang me and said, “Ken is here”.  He didn’t come home for 2 days. 

I rang him, “Where are you”.

“I’m on my way”. 

“Where were you?”

“The police stopped me on my way home”. 

“Did the police tell you not to go home?” 

He was mumbling.  “I was given a warning and they took me”. 

Meaning that sometimes, those that are young spiritually do silly things but keep moving up the steps and holding onto God.  Someone holding your hand can pull you up to renew your strength but they can’t pull you up unless you are willing to hold their hand.

The police in New Zealand are very good.  You can joke with them and they will reason with you.  In my country if the police tell you to stop and if you joke, they will stab you and if you keep joking they will shoot you.  No one will ask what happened, the body will just stay there and even dogs may come and eat you.

The police in New Zealand are even afraid to touch you.  Someone can do something wrong and the police will beg you to come into the station, “If you cooperate, we will make it less hard for you”.  For us in Congo, that does not exist.

The Holy Spirit lives like the New Zealand police, it will ask us nicely, “Don’t do this”.  The New Zealand police have power to take you to jail and press charges.  The Holy Spirit will tell Jesus, “You told me to stay behind with them and this is what Hayley did, Collen did this” etc. The Holy Spirit is policing us and on the day of judgement the actions will follow you. The Holy Spirit is pure and honest and right, He will be trusted by the judge.  What will you say in front of God that day?

“God guide my steps”.  Do I accept his guidance or not?  If not, why not?  What am I going to become tomorrow?  Those who have the privilege make all your steps with God, at work, at home.  When challenges come in your life, do you make steps with God?  Tell God, “This step is so hard, please hold my hand and pull me”

We built a house for my mum.  Someone sold that house by forgery and the new owner said, “You must leave my house”.  This is like our lives.  God has given our lives and all we deserve but we give it to satan and he claims our lives.  When you give place to satan to control our lives, it is like someone who is addicted to alcohol.

On judgement day, you will have to come on the stage, “Angela come before the throne, what did you?” and the whole world is watching you.  You won’t be able to blame others.  Present your problems to God and remember that this is only one step and it will pass.  Don’t make permanent decisions for a temporary situation.