Discipline

    

I know I’ve said this before, but God meets you where you are. So if you don’t feel like things are working, you just have to keep ploughing on, keep plugging away. He will do a work in you, if you want it. God doesn’t meet your needs; He meets your faith. Yes, He will give you the desires of your heart, but only if you first seek wisdom and understanding. If you’re hit and miss with your prayer life and your bible study, don’t expect too much from God. While you serve God and those He’s put before you, He will then provide for your table.

If it were true that God meets your needs, there’d be no poor people in church, no unhealthy people, no broken relationships, no overweight people, no alcoholics, drug addicts or gamblers, no-one addicted to pornography, or anything.

Church is the place we start from. We all come to church as broken people, but as we read God’s word and do His will, life for the believer changes. As we grow, through our bible study and at church, we are no longer broken, but mended. To have your needs met and to have access to the desires of your heart, you must help others, for what you give out you get back in return. And if you’re not seeing that return, know this: your time will come, because God’s word does not return void.

Satan the great deceiver, twists God’s word and when we don’t see the result’s we’re after, we give up, thinking His word doesn’t apply to us. It’s kind of like; that’s all well and good for you, but it doesn’t work for me. And that’s what Satan wants you to believe, because it stops you in your tracks, it stops you from moving forward in life, from overcoming your obstacles and moving your mountains.

If you feel you’re like a leaf, that’s blown away, that you’re tossed to and fro; you can feel like it’s never going to work - whatever IT is in your life. God loves you. He knows your struggles and He is willing to meet your needs. All you have to do, is have faith and learn to co-labour with Him. When you do your bit, He’ll do his.

You have the mind of Christ (except you don’t believe it), so there’s no need for brain fog, lack of focus, or poor memory. All of this is fixed with discipline, something which I expect you don’t believe you have, because I know you’ll have tried to concentrate and that little satanic voice in your head will have defeated you every time, telling you how you can’t do it.

Everything you are struggling with comes back to discipline and even discipline itself takes practice. If you look at weight loss (and I use this example because I understand it well), you may feel defeated before you start, because for those of you who’ve tried, you’ve tried and failed so many times you don’t believe it’s possible any more. I know, because I’ve been there (and overcome).

When you look at weight loss, you look at the 20 kilos you’d like to lose and you feel defeated, because it seems too big to overcome. It’s the same with lack of focus. You think you have to have it all now, but if you break it down, it becomes more manageable. Focus, weight loss, discipline, they all take practice and you’re thinking; “Haven’t I practiced enough by now?” Obviously not. Otherwise you’d have overcome the battle. Perhaps you’re not going about it the right way, not persevering, until you see the end result you desire.

Perhaps you want to stop smoking, or drinking. How about you stop for the next hour, and then 2 hours and build up from there. Instead of wanting it all right here and right now, pick your biggest issue and worked with that. One issue at a time. Don’t try to win in every area, it’s too great a battle.

Let’s say you want to lose weight. How about, instead of looking at the whole, you tell yourself, you can lose 1 kilo this month. You know how to lose weight, because I’ll bet you’ve lost weight before. 1 kilo isn’t even hard, in 30 days. Let’s say you do that every month, for 24 months. How good would that be?

The question is, how to do it? You can try for a hard day of exercise while fasting (make sure you check with your doctor, before attempting weight loss this way), or you can try to cut out your biggest caloric intake, until you lose that kilo and then go back to enjoying whatever food you like. That doesn’t mean you can overindulge the nest day. You do need to be sensible. Consistency is what will shift weight over time. Find what works and do it, even if it’s only 1 week out of the month. Once you’ve lost that kilo, you can stop until next month.

For me, I have 1 protein shake before breakfast, followed by exercise (30 – 40 mins). Sometimes I really don’t feel like a walk, or a bike ride and I trick myself into thinking: Just 5 minutes. Once I’m up and going, generally I keep going. If I’ve overindulged on calories, I have 2 shakes the next day and exercise twice that day and that brings me back to a good place. It’s worked for me. It might just work for you.

Now let’s break another area down: Focus. What if I suggest you focus for 1 minute today, 2 minutes tomorrow? Do you believe that’s doable? Don’t worry if you can’t manage even that much. I didn’t start out with great focus either. But I practiced and disciplined myself until I got it. Build upon your minutes each day, or week, until you are strong in that area. You can do this with any area in life. Take your weakest area and turn it into your strongest, starting small and building.

With focus, all you need to do, is keep a pen and paper handy. Whenever you lose concentration, write down what you’re thinking about and then get back to your focus. You can deal later, with what you’ve written down. We all learn in increments, one small step at a time. It’s the same as weight lifting. We don’t start lifting 50 kilo’s first up, we start small and build.

Satan has convinced you; you can’t do it. You’ve never been able to do it, what makes you think you can now? He puts all this negativity into your mind and this is why we need to take our thoughts captive. Every negative thought needs to be brought under our control - and you’ll know these negative thoughts and where they come from, because your own little voice will say “I’m so hopeless.” Satan’s little voice will say “You’re so hopeless.” Jesus will say “You got this; you can do it.” Any time you hear those negative voices, throw them aside and concentrate on the one voice, the one which says; “You got this!”

At the moment, you’ve been feeding from the wrong manna and probably feel you don’t even hear Jesus, above the clamour in your mind. All it takes is discipline and perseverance. Perseverance - a don’t quit attitude and Satan can do nothing with you.

With both focus and memory, if it helps, you can write down what you’re learning and re-read it throughout the day, to reinforce what you’ve learnt. It’s all about increments. You don’t have to do it all in one day, just slow and steady and you’ll get there.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Don’t expect not to have battles. If you mess up, just pick up again the next moment, or the next day. It’s about discipline and consistency. Do, more that you don’t and you’ll get there.

About the author:

Alexandra Grose – An investigative photojournalist and author for over twenty years. Writing is her passion and her dream and helping others achieve their dreams, through her written work, is Alexandra's greatest aspiration.

#Integrity; truthfulness, honesty and reliability, in all things.

I believe one should....be truthful in everything you say and do. Keep all relationships open and honest. Be reliable, punctual and organised and if you say you'll do it - do it.

If you want to soar like an eagle, make an effort, not an excuse.

Books:

alexandragrose@amazon.com

Photographs:

http://www.instagram.com/alex_photographer_author

Blog:

https://alexandragrose.blogspot.com/?m=1

©2023

This work is based on the belief of the writer. All she asks, is that you study and form your own opinion, as to the validity of her beliefs. You can’t assume you’re right on any given topic, you have to prove it.

Overcoming Impulses

 

Job 10:17 states; changes and war are ever with me.

John 10:10 states; The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.

Kill and war go hand in hand and one way to aid in overcoming, is to have a disciplined mind, for war isn’t just on the killing field, but war rages in our own minds too.

Scrambled thinking, lack of focus, depression, worry, anxiety. All of this can be overcome, by following God’s word and acting on what you’ve read.

Without a disciplined mind, our thoughts wander all over the place and we lack direction, strategies and staying power. When your impulses are in control, rather than your intention, it’s easy to become distracted.

When your mind is tuned to God’s word and His ways, you’re more easily able to set your intention and work towards it. God’s word is the secret to self-control.

If you truly want to change your life, you need to change your thinking. You cannot come at a new lifestyle without a new thought pattern. Our minds tend to remain stuck in repeated thought paradigms and often those templates are negative.

The power a thought has over you, is the power you give it. What you think about, you bring about and your most dominant thought will control your life. When you throw those negative thoughts to the wind, rather than indulging them, you’ll find yourself in a happier space.

Some of those thoughts are tremendously deep rooted and hard to stifle, especially if you’ve held them long term. At first you may want to have written reminders placed throughout your home and place of employment, until the changed thought pattern becomes automatic.

Replace negative words with positive affirmations. Read your bible daily and believe what God tells you, for God’s word is truth and if you stick with it long enough, you will see a change in your life, in your health, in your behaviour, in your relationships and in your finances.

You have to not only read the word, but you need to do what it tells you, if you want to see change.

The bible tells you to think on what’s pure and lovely. It tells you to put a few dollars away each week, for future generations. It tells you to pray, to take hold of your thoughts, to forgive, to love, to be a light for others and much, much more besides.

So, take the word of God seriously. Read His word daily. Let the peace of God take you on a journey and transcend your understanding, making crooked paths straight. Believe The Word - do what that word is telling you to do and watch your life change.

 

Mind of Christ

Mind of Christ

Recently, Psalm 150 was read at my church. Psalm 150 is a psalm of praise. I can’t remember which bible version Angela read from; however, I have the New King James version; Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise Him in His sanctuary, praise Him in His strong firmament, praise Him for His strong acts, praise Him for His excellent greatness…. It’s important we praise God, for God dwells in the praises of His people, as Psalm 22:3 states; "But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." Israel, one who contends with God and wins, that’s you and me.

Another psalm - Psalm 1; blessed is the man who walks not in the council of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night, he shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper... Notice the line rivers of water, many rivers flowing, not just one. To me, that speaks of many blessings.

Why do I bring this up? What’s important to God, should be important to us. God asks that we praise Him, that we delight in His word day and night, meditating constantly. At a previous church I attended, there was a member who persistently reminded us; learn your scriptures, for the end times are coming and one day we may not have bibles to open. I felt he was premature. We don’t need to know scriptures yet. The end times aren’t here. These days I’m not so sure that the end times aren’t too far away.

This man has gone to be with the Lord now, but I got to thinking: What if he’s right? Even if he was before his time, God asks it of us and so, regardless of this church member being right or wrong, I began memorising scriptures which have significance to me. I did it not for the end times, nor in fear of bibles being removed, but because I want to do what the Lord asks me to do.

We are united with Jesus, which means we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 states; "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." And so, I have the mind of Christ, for He is in me, as a born-again believer.

Jesus never said a gaff. He always said the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right person. I want what Jesus has and to become like Jesus, I must know the Living Word.

Sometimes Jesus was just spoiling for a fight, in His desire to honour God. One could say He was almost driven, to heal the sick, make the blind see, the lame walk and to cast out demons.

Remember in Matthew, when Jesus fell asleep on the boat and the storm came. The disciples were afraid and woke Jesus asking; "Don’t you care if we perish?" They landed on the other side of the waters and Jesus cast out a legion of demons from a man. The demons went into the swine and over the cliff. Jesus and the disciples hopped back on the boat and went home again. That was just Jesus, wanting to bless another. I want what Jesus has, for when we bless others, we in turn are blessed.

The power of life and death are in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). What you say is what you get. Decree and declare; good or bad, it comes back to you. Speak life. God’s word is life. And so, I have memorised a number of scriptures, which I run through my mind, day and night.

And then there’s Pi. Do you remember pi from school? Pi is the circumference of a circle, divided by its diameter and that number is infinite. No matter what the size of the circle, the answer is always the same; Pi equals 3.14159265 ‘et al’ (and others).

I memorised the first hundred digits of pi, while I was away travelling. I’d given my testimony to my daughter’s church in Qld and told the congregation I can recall a 100-digit number, frontwards and backwards (this in relation to having the mind of Christ).

I got back to my daughter’s after church and thought; gee it’s been a while. I hope I can still do it. I certainly don’t want to lie to the church, or anyone for that matter. Lizzie suggested the challenge - to memorise the first 100 digits of the infinite number in pi. I worked on it, on and off throughout the rest of the morning and I managed to do it, surprisingly quickly.

A friend said she was going to test me on it. I mentioned my granddaughter will too, as she always tests me (I’m learning Italian – very slowly – and she tests me every time I visit). Kristelle tells I’m the ‘cleverest person she knows,’ which causes me to chuckle inside. She’s 11 and only knows people around her age.

Anyway, the more numbers I rattled off, the wider Kristelle's eyes went. As I reached the end of the 100 digits, I thought her eyes were going to pop right out of her head. My granddaughter was so impressed, she decided she wanted to learn it. She now knows what pi is and has the first 15 numbers down pat; not too bad for an 11-year-old. Grandchildren; the treasures in our house.

Why do I tell you all of this? We’re under the false assumption that as we age, our mind deteriorates, but it’s not true. Our mind is a muscle and like any muscle, the more we exercise it, the stronger it gets, even into old age.

I have a number of friends now, who are starting to worry they’re becoming more and more forgetful. Is it Alzheimer’s, is it dementia? The bible tells us we shouldn’t worry, but give all our cares to God.

Some of you may consider me old, however I’m not seeing it yet and while I’m not infallible, I’m certainly not forgetful. I’m a writer. I love words and every day I memorise a word or two from the dictionary, in the hope of broadening my vocabulary and to aid my written work.

As I said, I’m slowly (because like most of us here, I’m busy), so I’m slowly learning Italian. I memorise my Italian words  my dictionary words, my bible verses and run through them day and night, along with the one hundred pi digits, doing my part to keep my mind sharp into old age. When we do our part, God will do His.

And I praise the Lord, that I have the mind of Christ. He asks not that we be perfect, as He is perfect, but that we do as He does. What else does He ask us to do, but partake of the body and blood, often as we may, in remembrance of Him. So, go ahead and take communion in reverential fear today, while you acknowledge Him as the One True God.

*Photograph; Christ the King Church, Taralga N.S.W.

 

About the author:

Alexandra Grose – An investigative photojournalist and author for over twenty years. Writing is her passion and her dream and helping others achieve their dreams, through her written work, is Alexandra's greatest aspiration.

 

 

#Integrity; truthfulness, honesty and reliability, in all things.

I believe one should....be truthful in everything you say and do. Keep all relationships open and honest. Be reliable, punctual and organised and if you say you'll do it - do it.

If you want to soar like an eagle, make an effort, not an excuse.

 

Books:

alexandragrose@amazon.com

 

Photographs:

http://www.instagram.com/alex_photographer_author

 

Blog:

https://alexandragrose.blogspot.com/?m=1

 

©2023

 

This work is based on the belief of the writer. All she asks, is that you study and form your own opinion, as to the validity of her beliefs. You can’t assume you’re right on any given topic, you have to prove it.

 

 

 

The Shedding of His Blood.

The arks; a tell-tale sign of a hidden pattern in the holy ark of the covenant and in the ark of Noah.

The ark of the covenant was described as needing to be built out of wood and overlaid with gold, inside and outside. Another structure to be built out of wood with an overlay of pitch, was Noah’s ark.

The same word, ark, is used to denote both structures. Both structures had a covering overlaid; the ark of the covenant and the ark of Noah. The structures have a mirror image. Wood overlaid with gold and wood overlaid with pitch. Pitch, the opposite of gold. Gold; precious, pitch; worthless. Gold; firm and shiny, pitch; sticky and dull. Gold; bright, pitch, dark.

Two wooden boxes overlaid with exact opposites. One large, one small.  One saves humanity, the other houses the word of God in the holy sanctuary. Both functions mirrored as well, in a reverse kind of way. God, entering man’s domain via the ark of the covenant. The other, man entering God’s domain via Noah’s ark, as the flood brought back the world without form.

Genesis 1:2; The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Each ark helps one of these beings live in the other’s world.

God; our world isn’t His place. Just because you haven’t seen Him, doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist. God the creator, lives outside the system in His own realm, beyond space and time. Man lives in space and time. He can’t live in the ark of the covenant. Man moves to live in Noah’s ark. God moves to live in the ark of the covenant.

God came and moved among the men, in the the ark of the covenant. Noah’s ark was man, moving in the formlessness of God’s world.

All of this, until Jesus came. Jesus, the Saviour of the world through the shedding of His blood, now lives within mankind. Both the ark of the covenant and Noah’s ark, obsolete and lost to humanity. Not needed any more, as we place our trust in Jesus.

 

 

 

 

Dreams, Desires, Destiny and Direction Part 2.

Demonic forces will fall at the presence of the Lord. In today’s time, that’s for you and I, for we are the representatives of the Highest God, we hold the presence of the Lord. He is in us and we are in Him and the demonic must bow to the higher authority.

Remember the Lord is with us and we are not to fear. Don’t ever think circumstances are too hard for God. If you have a bad report, instead of crying or complaining, bring God into your situation. I mentioned in part 1 that we shouldn’t complain, as it delays the time to breakthrough, so no crying or complaining.

If you do happen to get a bad report, quote scriptures. Take a look at the issue and ask yourself what scriptures you can stand on, to overthrow the report, to turn that bad report into a good report.

Whether that be a report on an illness, a loss of some sort, or you might be against a position leadership choose to take, get into the word of God and bring everyone to your side who are in agreement and then pray.

The bible states in Matthew 18:19; Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything they ask, it will be done for them by My father in heaven. Also, Ecclesiastes 4:12 says; though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 

We are able to overcome. We are able to take possession. Let’s go; do it now, while the fire is in your belly. Be bold in the Lord. It is worth the battle. If the Lord delights in us, and He does, He’ll conquer the enemy.

If we are standing on the Lord’s promises, we can know the Lord is with us. As for the enemy, their protection has departed, so don’t be afraid. They are fighting a battle against the Lord, and they will lose. They always lose. You can read about it in the bible. Chronicle 1 and 2 highlights all those who were outside God’s protection and how they lost every battle and those who followed God won every battle. So, pray and pray as if you were going to win.

Now I know this is much easier said than done, praying as if we win. But if you stand on your scriptural promises, if you decree and declare the victory, you will be a champion. You want to be a champion, you want success in your life, but there will be times that you’re going to have to fight big battles, before you see that success manifest. And remember: Little battles, little victories. Great battles, great victories.

A giant champion; isn’t that what you want? A champion in whatever you undertake. Make up your mind - what do you want? Do you want a small and insignificant life, or do you want to take on the world? The choice is yours. There is no right or wrong, just a choice, as to whether you grab hold of life in all its forms, or live a quiet, sedentary life. No right or wrong, just a choice.

Moses, at the end of his life, reminded the people they’re going to have to fight. (Deuteronomy 32)

There are seven tests mightier than you and you’ll need God to conquer them. Seven tests you can’t do on your own. Seven tests you can’t do without God.

It took forty years before Moses was prepared to fight and another forty years to prepare forty thousand Israelite men for war. And then the battle began. 10 tribes to overcome.

I mentioned in part one, we will have ten battles to fight before we enter our promised land. 10 tribes and the meaning behind the names of those tribes, are the 10 battles you’ll have to face to reach your destiny.

Three you can conquer by yourself. But when you do, don’t get into pride. Remember to be humbly thankful. It’s easy to fall into pride, when we think we’ve conquered on our own. For there is a war going on at the moment, a spiritual war and the prize is your soul. We need to adopt the right mindset and maintain it, for the road to triumph is full of tests and trials.

The three you can conquer by yourself are:

Kenites; Kenite means fabricator. Lies and false accusations against you. Distortions and rumours. You can defend yourself, or let God do it.

Keneziets; possessive. Covetousness. We might try to look more spiritual than we are. If we try to have what others have, we’ll never succeed. We can’t succeed, while we’re trying to be someone else.

Kadmonite; this tribe will tell you; you can’t change, you’re good enough just as you are. They consider the old to be good enough and they will try to encourage you to hate change. They want you to stay with tradition. You’ll never enter your destiny, when the old is good enough.

Those are the three which you can conquer on your own. The next seven battles are seven are stronger than you and you’ll need to enlist the help of God.

Hittites; terror. Fear of failure creates physical and spiritual paralysis. You’ll be asking; What will people say? Or telling yourself, “It’s too big for me.” Your fears keep you awake at night. You feel you can’t handle or control what’s going on around you. Fearfully you’ll be asking; “What if there’s something I don’t know?” All forms of fear will have to be overcome, but you can do it, if you trust in Jesus. Sometimes you just can’t wait until you have all the answers.

Perizites; squatter; apathy. You’re not trying or paying attention, or you’re ignoring. This type of attitude kills churches. The first people your church will you lose are the people who are apathetic. They won’t help you build your vision and God will remove them.

Raphaeme; giant. Flee or run away. It’s not working like you thought and you give up. The issue is too big and you quit. So many quit before they see their miracle. There’s always something too big, insurmountable, with not enough knowledge, passion, or money. That’s what overcoming is all about; facing the big and insurmountable and working towards overthrowing them.

The Amorites, descendants of the Canaanites, also known for their evil ways. The Amorite is always thinking people are saying something about them. It creates inferiority and self- doubt in the mind. They tend to think you’re not talking about how good they are, but how bad they are. Know this: it is in your mind. They could be saying you look great, but due to doubt, you feel inferior and self-doubt always causes you to want to return to Egypt, as the Israelites did after they left their promised land. It can also mean sexual relations outside of marriage, so be alert and tread carefully.

Canaanite; zealous, too much zeal. They are the ones who go after things too quickly. They are impatient. They’re usually 6 months too early and only occasionally late, but rarely on time. You have to get in the boat when the time is right. When you pick it wrong, you then don’t trust your ability to make decisions in the future. This can stop you making decisions altogether, and you then allow other people to make decisions for you.

Gergishite; stranger. You feel out of place, frustration, you don’t feel you fit in. You don’t feel at home in your church. You might be thinking; they’re not like me/I’m not like them. It stops you from growing roots. When there are no roots, the fruit won’t grow. If you’re fruitless, you are neutered and you can’t move forward. You have to grow deep roots; your destiny is tied to the root.

Jebusite; downtrodden. Anxiety, depression and a victim mentality, plus a blame towards others for your own lack of success. You always feel condemned; you always feel you’re not doing enough.

These are the 10 battles you will face. You will have to overcome all 10 issues and you’ll not only fight them once, but time and time again, as you go deeper with God. Each battle is the bread (strength and courage) for you to go into the next battle, until you’re strong and mighty, fully prepared for the battle. And you’ll know you didn’t do it. You’ll be well aware that God did it.

These are the issues which are bigger than you can handle and God brings you through. Then what? Once every battle is won, then what? Don’t be like Nebuchadnezzar, who ended up eating grass, because he said; “Look what I’ve done.” Once you win, don’t be over confident in your abilities. You won because God lead the way and you listened, not because you did it on your own. Once you’ve overcome, give God praise.

Most of those who overcame, started out as lowly servants and then became great, just as Jesus did. Jesus started as a small child and spent years as a student, before performing His first miracle. There weren’t many of these great leaders, however the battles they won were great, in spite of their small number.

Remember; although frightened, Gideon battled and won with 300 people against 100,000 of the enemy. We can do this, with the help of God.

You will always come face to face with something greater than you. That’s life!

Gideon was hiding, grinding wheat, where he couldn’t be found. Gideon overheard the baker (from the enemy’s camp) speaking of a dream about a loaf of bread, rolling down the mountainside. The enemy mentioned Gideon was the bread, and he would win the battle. God told Gideon to go to the enemy camp. He was frightened, but he was obedient. You’re going to come face to face with your biggest fears and if you’re obedient to God, you will have victory. Every minister has had to face his/her fears.

You must become an overcomer, face your fears, step out in faith, removing what you’re afraid of, so you can win the battle and reach your destiny. Call on God to help you handle your issues. God will act on your behalf.

Have courage to stand. Ask God, “Make up the difference, between my fear and my faith. Remove my apathy. Don’t let me get ahead, or be premature, but allow me to work in lockstep with you. Amen.”

 

Note: Photograph; Bell Church Garden. Bell, Queensland Australia.

 

 

 

Dreams, Desires, Destiny and Direction Part 1.

Your destiny and purpose are what’s coming to you. It’s what the Lord designed for you in this life, if you follow Him, for He leads His flock with intention and with purpose.

We too should be working towards destiny and purpose, for this is what brings us joy. Dreams and desires are the things that light up our life, the destiny we wish to achieve and that we aspire to. They are the desires of our heart. The direction we take to help us achieve our desires, is the vehicle we use to get us there.

Before arriving at our destiny there are things which stand in our way; things set before us, in order to block us from our divine pathway, for there is always an element of evil in this fallen world. When that happens, we can’t sit back and wait, we have to take action and do something about it.

Just as the children of God faced many blocks, while they worked their way into the promised land, we too shall face things, as we work towards our dreams and desires.

Twelve men of the bible went out to spy the land. Only two came back with a good report, the other ten felt it would be too hard. This speaks of the natural. This is why we have ten things today, to overcome and conquer before we can enter our promised land.

As with the nation of Israel and the ten battles they had to fight with the other nations, so too will we have ten territories we’re going to have to battle. It’s not that we have to fight other races and cultures, in this day and age. Today, the nations represent the worldly; things (baggage, conditions, circumstances and affairs). We’ll need to do battle, to overcome and be successful in life.

God gave the land to the descendants of Israel. It wasn’t the first people who left Egypt, but to their descendants who reached the promised land. However, they couldn’t possess the land until they fought the other nations. One of those nations being the Amorites.

The meaning of the name Amorite is; Bitter, a rebel, babbler. The Amorites were giants and they were descendants of the son of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah.

The bible states the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete (Gen 15:16). Iniquity means a violation of duty, a transgression or trespass. A guilt worthy of punishment. As they entered the promised land, the Israelites still had battles to fight, as their iniquity still held.

God gave ample time for the Amorites to turn from their wickedness, yet they did not take advantage of this time of grace and the Israelites defeated the Amorites in battle; a punishment from God, for the rebelling ways of the Amorite.

God waits until iniquity is fulfilled, before allowing you to overcome something mightier than you. He knows you’re weak and He waits for you to get stronger, before he brings you into the picture.

We have to get rid of the enemy; the engraved stones, the molten images and their high places. We have to drive the inhabitants out and the provision will be there to do this. God always provides.

What is our enemy? What are the ‘giants’ in our life?

Engraved stones - another name for painful memories, which stop us from taking a chance.

Molten images - the idols that we seek to comfort us during our troubled times, instead of God.

High places - the negative emotions we feel (weaknesses, fears, anxieties), instead of courage to face tomorrow.

The first things we feel are the mental strongholds; thoughts, precepts and opinions, because we haven’t yet conquered what and how we think.

We are to conquer our thoughts, the inhabitants of our mind. We are to take every thought captive and not allow our thoughts to run away with us. We are to be in control of our thoughts; like a carriage pulled by horses. Don’t let the horses bolt and run away, keep them under control.

There will always be tests in life. Obstacles that test our courage. The bigger the test, the greater the benefit, once you overcome. The test is in direct proportion to the benefit we receive.

If we look at the negative, we fail the test and then have to re-sit the exam. A bad report deters us from our destiny and we have a tendency to complain, when we’re given a bad report. Complaining takes us from an eleven-day journey, to a forty-year journey. Just as the Israelites could have entered the promised land in eleven days, but it took forty years for them to get there. The more we complain, the longer our journey is.

The reason it stretches our season of delay when we complain is, it’s a form of rebellion against the Lord. The Lord our God does not take kindly to rebellion. He did after all, throw Lucifer, His bright and shining star from heaven, when he rebelled.

Although we are given the right to choose, the wrong choice does have consequences. However, we need to remember God is with us. We are not to fear, for nothing is too hard for God. No matter what the circumstance, God is well able to bring us through.

 

Note: Photograph; Bell Church Garden. Bell, Queensland Australia.

 

A Light To Guide My Path.

 

A Light To Guide My Path.

Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

(Photograph: Tuggerah Lake, The Entrance, N.S.W. Australia)

 

2 Chronicles 21:7…and gave David a lamp forever.

A lamp, a light. A light to my path and a lamp for my feet – Jesus. Psalm 119:105; Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 

I heard recently, where all things point to Jesus.

I’d always pictured a light to my path and a lamp to my feet as being my way lit up, so I walk in the right direction. While this may be true, perhaps a double meaning is implied. The light and lamp being Jesus, as it says in this passage (even though Jehoram was a wicked king); yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant that He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever. (2 Chronicles 21:7)

The lamp; a picture of something greater. A picture of love, faithfulness and relationship, of God’s faithfulness to all who trust in Him.

When the link between us and God is broken, so too is our power.  When we are properly submitted to God, so too are our passions. Our passions (whether good or bad) flare up, depending on our submission to God. Any proper exercise of authority (home, government, church, society, work) is safe, when we’re fully submitted to God.

Recently I listened to a message, which was all about Jesus. If you’re depressed, you need to meet Jesus. If you’re unwell, you need to meet Jesus. If you have a need; Jesus. And one other thing the minister said; we don’t need to ask for more. God gave us His very best – Jesus. There is no more. Just rest in Jesus.

We have a tendency to complicate things, but I believe the message is that simple; rest in Jesus. All else will fall into place, we only need to rest in Him. He is our lamp forever.

The lamp; a metaphorical statement, emphasizing wisdom which comes from following God’s direction, from remaining close to Jesus. If you want a better life, follow God more closely. As we learn from God’s word, He lights passages of importance, so we can navigate well in life. 

Whether a bright light to the path ahead, or a shallow light extending only to the next step, when we follow God, love God and obey His word, it will bring a closeness to God that will cause prosperity in all areas of our life.

 

About the author:

Alexandra Grose – An investigative photojournalist and author for over twenty years. Writing is her passion and her dream and helping others achieve their dreams, through her written work, is Alexandra's greatest aspiration.

 

 

#Integrity; truthfulness, honesty and reliability, in all things.

I believe one should....be truthful in everything you say and do. Keep all relationships open and honest. Be reliable, punctual and organised and if you say you'll do it - do it.

If you want to soar like an eagle, make an effort, not an excuse.

 

Books:

alexandragrose@amazon.com

 

Photographs:

http://www.instagram.com/alex_photographer_author

 

Blog:

https://alexandragrose.blogspot.com/?m=1

 

©2023

 

This work is based on the belief of the writer. All she asks, is that you study and form your own opinion, as to the validity of her beliefs. You can’t assume you’re right on any given topic, you have to prove it.