Remind your soul

 

Photo by Chionsu Barclay

These days, with job losses, increases in the cost of living, and leadership throughout the world that appears to be self-centred and schizophrenic at best, if not for all people, certainly for a lot of people, life is uncertain and God seems to be afar off somewhere. David was experiencing similar circumstances when he wrote Psalm 63.

Psalm 63 refers to a time when David was in the wilderness in Judah. I have extracted verses 1, 6, 7 and 8 as the focus for today’s reflection.

O God, you are my God;
    I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.

I lie awake thinking of you,
    meditating on you through the night.

Because you are my helper,
    I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
    your strong right hand holds me securely.

David was experiencing inner struggle due to his circumstances, but he did not let it overtake him. Instead of succumbing to the rigours of the parched and weary land where there is no water, David takes responsibility for what is happening inside him and begins speaking to himself, not about the circumstances but reminds his soul of God his Helper.

It did not matter how it looked, or how he was feeling, what mattered to David was to focus on God; to think of God, meditate on God, and cling to God. David remembered all that God offers.

David reminded his soul that it was in God that his security laid.

Beloved, you too must do the same. Remind your soul that your security is not in your bank account, your job or the world’s economy, it is God who holds you securely in His strong right hand.

Keep God’s benefits in mind. As David said in Psalm 103:2 (NLT), may I never forget the good things he does for me, then he lists out all those good things in the successive verses of his song.

Reminding yourself of what God has done and not falling prey to your circumstances is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Emotions are adaptive so they can be controlled. Solomon, in his great wisdom tells us that it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city (Proverbs 16:32 NLT); this has more to do with inner transformation than outward restraint, therein lies your strength.

Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) says,

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

Jesus, in His humanity faced more challenges than we could ever endure, yet He did not allow the things happening outside Him to affect what was inside Him. The offense levied on Him, the insults spewed towards Him, the judgments cast upon Him never caused Jesus to return the favour.

We need to understand who we are as sons of God, as Jesus knew who He was as the Son of God. Now, you might be saying, “But I’m only human, I’m not Jesus”, you are absolutely correct but He was human and demonstrated how to walk and move as a son of God. Take a good look at Jesus, not in a wristband WWJD way, but to really see Him and imitate Him under the tutelage of His Spirit.

Beloved, Jesus took full responsibility for His soul and its condition, not that He did not wrestle within His human state, for we see Him in the Garden at Gethsemane doing just that but He knew in whom His security lay and reminded His soul as He brought His soul and His circumstances under the subjection of God the Father, declaring Yet I want your will to be done, not mine (Matthew 26:39 NLT).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Remind your soul” ©2026 January 29, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

A Necessary Wrestling Match

 

Have you ever felt as if life is just beating up on you? Like no matter what you do it’s a struggle? You’re in a wrestling mismatch because you’re not winning?

Jacob found himself in a wrestling match but before getting into it, here’s the back story, which you probably already know, to give you some context.

Okay, so long story short…

Abraham’s son Isaac and his wife Rebekah had twin sons, Esau and Jacob. The younger of the two, Jacob, which means “he will follow”, “he will take a heel” or “he will supplant, deceive”, was given this name because he grabbed his older brother’s heel at the time of their birth. The name in Hebrew, Yah-kobe, is from the root “akab” which refers to a heel.

When the second baby was born, he was holding tightly to Esau’s heel. So that baby was named Jacob. (Genesis 25:26 ERV)

After they were grown, Jacob conned Esau, the first-born, into relinquishing his birthright to him for a bowl of Lentil stew (see Genesis 25:29-34). Esau favoured his belly more than his rights as the first-born son.

Isaac loved Esau, while Rebekah preferred Jacob and that’s where the real bacchanal started. You see Esau as the first-born was to receive a divine blessing conferred on him by his father, Isaac but Rebekah, overhearing a conversation between father and his first-born son, devised a scheme to deceive Isaac into blessing Jacob instead (see Genesis 27).

The deception worked and Jacob obtained the blessing meant for Esau. This resulted in a yearslong animosity between these twin brothers.

So, baby Jacob from the womb, tries to usurp his brother’s “first-born son” privilege. Later, he exploits his brother’s hunger and cons him out of his birthright after which he deceives his blind father, invoking the Lord in order to corroborate his lie, to steal his brother’s God ordained blessing. Jacob wrestled God’s blessing from Esau.

Jacob’s life was thereafter marked by lies of his own making; he lived up to his name as supplanter, living life in his own strength through manipulation and deceit. Conniving and conning his way into acquiring worldly blessings from man.

My goodness. And imagine this sort of thing still happens today.

People scheming and lying to get that which is not meant for them or which they are not entitled to.

Anyway, there came a time when there was going to be a planned encounter between the two brothers (Genesis 32:1-6).

Not surprisingly, Jacob was scared out of his wits to meet Esau and prayed to God (see Genesis 32:7-12). He then prepared gifts for Esau, sent his family away and remained alone. That night, Jacob had an encounter before the planned encounter.

And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. (Genesis 32:24 ESV)

Jacob and this unknown man were in a wrestling match all night. Eventually, when the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (v 25-26)

Who was this man, Jacob may have thought.

Then the man asked Jacob his name and he told him, then the man said (v 27-28),

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 

Jacob had been in an all-night wrestling match with God! A damaged hip, a name change, the realisation that he had seen God face to face, and yet [his] life [had] been delivered (v 30)? This was not without reason.

For years I could not understand how Jacob could have won this wrestling match with God, surely to wrestle with God would be a mismatch in God’s favour. But then I realised something and maybe you realised it too.

In verse 26, when the man told Jacob to let him go and Jacob refused, it wasn’t that Jacob won the bout, he simply continued to cling to the man refusing to let go not because he knew it was God but because he was up to his old tricks of obtaining a blessing any way he could and for this Jacob ended up with his hip being put out of joint.

Beloved, God’s blessing does not come through deception or by force. Jacob ended up with a crippling in his hip socket and probably a lifelong limp; you are always rewarded for your actions right here on earth, whether those actions are good or bad the reward will be congruous with the action.

God’s blessings come only by His initiative; it’s not through scheming or schmoozing or conning or cunning or trying to control outcomes.

Yet still, because God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (Romans 11:29), the blessing Jacob stole from Esau was honoured however, for it to take effect, the means by which it was acquired had to be transformed and that could have only been accomplished by a necessary wrestling match with God; it was then and is now, only by honest dependent struggle with God Himself.

It’s no coincidence that Jacob meets God and receives His blessing in the right way just before he is to meet Esau, from whom he received the blessing in the wrong way.

After wrestling with God Jacob is unable to stand on his own all he could do is cling to God and then and only then does he acquire a new identity, God gives him a new name and he becomes Israel, “he will rule with God”.

Beloved, transformation comes through surrender. God does not want to hurt you but just as He did with Jacob, He wants to change how you walk and move; He wants you to stop trying to control outcomes and cling to Him in a necessary wrestling match.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “A Necessary Wrestling Match” ©2026 January 29, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seventy Times Seven

 

The ancient world was not ignorant about the deep spiritual meaning of numbers, however much superstition has been attached and ascribed to numbers and not without reason as for centuries, occult practitioners of numerology, recognizing the spiritual symbolism that numbers carry, have perverted their use.

Numbers can be found throughout the Scriptures so let us not allow the perversion of what God intended detract from the fact that He placed special meaning upon numbers.

Delving into the importance of their use in Scripture is certainly not an invitation into divination but to see the glory of God through His unique use of numbers. God has invested divine properties in numbers and has intentionally placed them in His Word.

The association of numbers to occultism and numerology has made us ignore the special meaning attached to them by God and has caused us to by-pass the spiritual significance of numbers that the ancient world understood.

Take for instance Apostle Peter’s concern regarding forgiveness, he obviously understood the significance of the number seven when he posed a question to Jesus in Matthew 18:21(AMPC).

Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?

When Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! (v 22), it was not an arbitrary response. Jesus wasn’t giving Peter a lesson in multiplication or merely using a random large number to signify forgiveness.

Seventy times seven is four hundred and ninety, 490, which represents a time of grace, the end of which results in the termination of sin.

Jesus was alluding to Daniel’s prophecy (see Daniel 9:24-27) in which “weeks” signify a period of seven years, making 70 weeks, seventy times seven.

“God has allowed 70 weeks for your people and your holy city, Daniel. The 70 weeks are ordered for these reasons: to stop doing bad things, to stop sinning, to make people pure, to bring the goodness that continues forever, to put a seal on visions and prophets, and to dedicate a very holy place.  (Daniel 9:24 ERV)

Beloved, there is so much more to this number and other multiples of seven which can be found in several passages in both the Old and New Testaments but that is not what today’s reflection is about. The aim of this brief post is simply to show you that the numbers in Scripture have purpose and should not be by-passed or ignored. So, pay attention to the numbers.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Seventy Times Seven” ©2026 January 27, 2026

 

Peter got it

 

That night in Gethsemane, Jesus had said to Peter,

“Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”

(Matthew 26:40-41 MSG)

Mindful of Zechariah’s prophecy, Jesus told His disciples,

“Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Peter, well acquainted with the Scriptures, had been eager, ready for anything in God as he responded to Jesus’ announcement with, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” (v. 33)

Knowing Peter better than he knew himself, Jesus replied to Peter with a prediction, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

“Before the rooster crows” had a lamentable meaning for Peter. Jesus was giving him a wake-up call about himself; he was going to fall to pieces under pressure, unwilling to stand up for Jesus out of fear of ridicule and worse yet, losing his own life.

But Peter, the leader of the twelve, did not get it, he did not understand, for he vehemently insisted, “No! Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” (v 35)

The new day had not yet dawned when Jesus’ prediction came true. 

Peter, the little rock, had broken into pieces. Jesus’ loyal companion for three years, privileged to be in Jesus’ inner circle of three, the only disciple to confess to Jesus’ messiahship, the disciple who cut off Malchus’ ear in defence of Jesus, betrayed Him three times out of sheer fear.

Shamefully, in front of everyone, Peter stoutly denied knowing his Lord, not once, not twice and after the third time, the rooster’s cry rang out and he remembered. As Jesus’ prophetic words seeped into memory, he went away, weeping bitterly (v 75).

Peter had once asked Jesus how many times he should forgive and Jesus answered, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! (see Matthew 18:21-22). Jesus was telling Peter and all present to always forgive; to them it signified something even deeper but that’s a reflection for another day.

After Christ’s resurrection, He appeared to seven of the disciples at the Sea of Galilee, John was the first to recognize Him, but Peter, as usual, was the first to act. After they had shared breakfast, Jesus questioned Peter (see John 21:15-17),

“Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

“Feed My lambs.”

“Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

“Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

“Tend My sheep.”

“Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” 

“Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

“Feed My sheep.”

Three times denied, three times set free; free of guilt, free of regret, free of blame, set free to shepherd His sheep. Jesus as the Truth set Peter free.

Peter was radically restored by Jesus to live the life He purchased for him on the cross, even after failing Him thoroughly.

Beloved, God does not discard us when we fall, He reconciles us to Himself (ref. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

During his subsequent ministry, Apostle Peter penned his first letter to Christians who were suffering persecution and could find no redress; in it he wrote,

Keep awake! Watch at all times. The devil is working against you. He is walking around like a hungry lion with his mouth open. He is looking for someone to eat. Stand against him and be strong in your faith. Remember, other Christians over all the world are suffering the same as you are. (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLV)

Peter got it, finally he understood what Jesus was saying that fateful night at Gethsemane; he got it.

Peter got it, finally he understood the Way, the Truth and the Life, the power of agape love and grace and forgiveness; he got it.

Peter got it, after all this time, finally he understood his three-year walk with Jesus, all that he had seen and heard, everything his Rabbi had taught; he got it.

Peter got it, finally he understood all of it, the plan, the purpose, the transfiguration, the pain, the cross, the resurrection, the Father’s will, the Kingdom and the glory; he got it, yes Peter got it.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Peter got it” ©2026 January 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer Succeeds

 

In the Gospel of Luke, we are told that one of Jesus’ disciples, we aren’t told which one, said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1 NKJV). And Jesus taught them a prayer they can model, what we know as the Lord’s Prayer.

However, Matthew’s account is quite different; he says that Jesus was teaching His disciples what they shouldn’t and should do when they pray, then He recited the model prayer.

Jesus Himself used parts of this model prayer when He, in His humanity, was in mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, and prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 NKJV), not once but three times.

Our Father in heaven…Your will be done (Matthew 6:9, 10 NKJV)

In those agonising hours Jesus’ soul was very sorrowful, even to death. He asked Peter, and the brothers, James and John to remain here, and watch with me but they all fell asleep, not one stayed awake.

And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:40-41 (NKJV)

So that you are not led or enter into temptation, you must watch and pray, be spiritually aware or awake.

Beloved, these same disciples had, just a little while earlier, promised to die for Jesus (v 35) and now they could not keep their eyes open not even for one hour.

During this sorrowful and troubled time Jesus prayed the same prayer three times, always emphasizing that it is all up to the Father’s will.

The disciples’ intentions may have been good but good intentions weren't enough. You need to be faithful in your prayer life.

Too often we tell persons that we will pray for them and never say a word to God about them. I will admit that I have done that many times.

The disciples failed Jesus when He needed them to bolster Him in prayer and we fail those persons whom we promise to pray for but don’t.

As Jesus said, The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Your spirit is indeed willing but your soul, which governs the body (flesh), needs to be reined in. It wanders away, distracted by the things of this world. There is a danger in that.

Beloved, in moments of temptation, where your flesh is weak, prayer succeeds.

You may look at Peter, James and John and cannot understand how they could do that to Jesus, especially in His hour of desperation; but aren’t you just the same? Instead of being alert, you fall asleep when you should be praying desperately to your Father, especially in these desperate times we’re living in.

You get comfortable, letting your guard down when you should be in constant communion with God, praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), mumbling like Hannah as she prayed from her soul (1 Samuel 1:13).

Your prayers must be genuine, coming from deepest within you (Psalm 103:1).

As Jesus told His disciples, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matthew 6:6 NKJV).

Beloved, prayer succeeds when you are open, honest, diligent, persistent and intentional with your Father in heaven. So, pray.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Prayer Succeeds” ©2026 January 25, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Your Sense of Security

 

In Thessalonica, Apostle Paul’s teaching of Jesus as the Messiah was so controversial that it was met by an incredibly violent response in the synagogue of the Jews (read Acts 17:5-9).

This opposing Jewish faction, forming a mob, set out in search of Paul and his missionary companion Silas, however they could not be found, as their friends, to protect their own security, had ushered them out of the city.

The angry mob turning their ire against Paul’s friend Jason and other believers instead, brought them before the city authorities accusing these men of accommodating Paul and Silas and colluding with them in acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus (ref. Acts 17:7 ESV).

Jason and the other believers were eventually released when money was taken from them as security (ref. Acts 17:9).

The fact that Paul’s religious enemies had attacked his character, was not the only problem facing the Thessalonian church, the influence of idol worship was still a lure, and other religious and social issues were troubling its members. So, in an effort to quell the confusion that was brewing among the believers, and to defend himself, Paul wrote to the church. Towards the end of his first letter he writes,  

Now may God himself, the God of peace, make you holy in every way [sanctify you completely/through and through]. May your whole self—spirit, soul, and body—be kept faultless [blameless] when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (EXB)

Paul’s teaching in the synagogue focused primarily on the Thessalonians turning away from their dependence on any form of idolatry and placing their sense of security in the Living God as they awaited His return; a core message Paul emphasized in his letter.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is recorded as telling a parable about a rich man who owned very fertile land (12:16-21). This land produced so much that the man decided to tear down the barns he already had to build larger ones.

Decision made, this rich man then said to his soul,

Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. (v 19)

In saying this, this rich man has implanted in the core of his being that his sense of security is in his possessions. His material wealth in land and its harvest gave this man a sense of security.

The bond that Jason and the others paid gave them a sense of security and the angry mob in Thessalonica hung their sense of security on violence.

In each of these instances, the sense of security was misplaced.

For the wealthy landowner, if his land remained bountiful, then he’s fine however, his dependence on that was a precarious position for his soul.

Contrary to this rich man, the writer of Psalm 42 told his soul to Hope in God. 

While the rich man in Jesus’ parable was thirsty for more and greater possessions, this psalmist was thirsty for the living God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (v 2 ESV)

The rich man put his trust in the material; his stuff kept him safe. Your sense of security must never be entrusted in things that surround you or that you have amassed.

Jesus said, not to be anxious about your life, food, your body, your clothes. Aren’t these all the things you stress over? But Jesus said that life is more than food, more than clothing and tells us to look at the birds and consider the lilies. He wants us to observe the rest of creation to see how God takes good care of them. If God makes provision for them then He will certainly provide for you, for you are more valuable than birds and lilies.

Read Matthew 6:25-34 for yourself.

Beloved, stop looking for your sense of security in all the wrong places. Deuteronomy 28:12 (ERV) assures that,

The Lord will open his storehouse where he keeps his rich blessings. He will send rain at the right time for your land. He will bless everything you do. You will have money to lend to many nations. And you will not need to borrow anything from them.

God’s word is clear, you will prosper and be in good health as your soul prospers, therefore the manifestation of all that God’s word contains in your life begins with a healthy soul. You must plant the good seeds of God’s word into your soul to reap a bountiful harvest in every area of your life; it's all God, in whom your sense of security must lie.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Your Sense of Security” ©2026 January 24, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tending to your soul

Twelve Psalms are given the superscription, “of the Sons of Korah”, or “A Maskil of the Korahites”, a maskil being a meditation, enlightened song or skillful poem. One such Psalm ascribed to this group of Levites who were the doorkeepers and musicians in the tabernacle and temple is Psalm 42.

Psalm 42 may seem like a song of lament with verse five which reads,

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? (NRSVUE)

And verse six,

My soul is cast down within me

But this Psalm is actually a reservoir of encouragement for anyone who is deeply disturbed and troubled.

Beloved, you must be vigilant in tending to your soul. If you are feeling despondent, like the Psalmist, question your soul.

At times you will struggle with feelings of dis-ease, and when you do, talk to your soul. A downcast soul prevents you from believing that God’s promises are meant for you, or that you deserve them or perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that something you have done disqualifies you from receiving His blessings.

A disquieted soul can arouse anxiety which I am sure you have experienced or might be experiencing even now but Apostle Paul says,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)

And in Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus Himself says that we are not to be anxious about anything; not about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on…Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

He says that being anxious will not add a single hour to your life span. If you allow anxiety to persist it can crush you and take years off your life, also you deprive yourself of the person God created you to be and all that He has purposed you to offer to others. Furthermore, anxiety stifles your success and stunts your spiritual growth.

Thinking that you are not worthy or not good enough is not how God sees you. He made you in an amazing [awesome] and wonderful way (ref. Psalm 139:14 EXB), in His own image, reflecting His nature and His character; you are everything He is, and He has made it so and it all rests on His sufficiency.

This Psalm gave voice to the Psalmist’s feelings of utter discouragement and at the same time countered the disquiet of his soul by placing his hope in God, when he told his soul these words,

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

What a beautiful anchor for your soul.

Beloved, hope is believing with confidence that God’s perfect plan for you will eventually happen; it’s an essential ingredient for tending to your soul. Your hope must be in God.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Tending to your soul” ©2026 January 24, 2026