Sunday, 6 April 2025

A Season of Renewal

Much fasting, praying and repenting is done during the forty days of Lent. And those who do should emerge from this holy season renewed. But do we? Do we genuinely seek renewal that will last or is it just an Ash Wednesday to Glorious Saturday kind of thing?

Lent is without a doubt a time of repentance. But how authentic are you in your determination to turn to God and away from sinfulness? Are you even now experiencing a Spirit-empowered move to change the course of your current lifestyle? Does the thought of turning away, of letting go of the old cause you despair?

“Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16 (MSG)

Repentance is the first step toward renewal. It should not lead to feelings of despair but to shouts of praise to a God who so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son to die by cruel crucifixion for you to have a great life.

When you encounter the living God in a tangible way, you become keenly aware of the inadequacy of the life you are living. You just know that there is something missing and an emptiness engulfs every part of your being.

You may not realize what’s happening at first but then a light switch is turned on and you feel compelled to repent, to change direction, to make an about turn from sin and journey toward Him. Everything seems to have turned upside down but yet somehow you know that it is now right side up.

The life you have been living is ending and something new is beginning. Renewal!

God blots out your sins and does not remember them – He does not hold your sins against you. All because of His grace toward you. Understand that God’s grace is not a one-time outpour, it meets us again and again consistently unfolding throughout our lives.

Ending and beginning is characteristic of renewal and it’s a never-ending experience as you commune with the risen Lord. Your entire life becomes a season of renewal as you grow from one level to the next in faith.

Lent will soon come to a close, but the season of renewal will not. Be encouraged, over the next few days, to repent with intention after serious reflection…

“So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord” – Acts 3:19 (AMPC)

 

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “A Season of Renewal” © April 5, 2025

Saturday, 5 April 2025

Let us Repent of…Envy

Envy is a malignant cancer to the soul; it slowly eats away at every fibre of your body.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” – Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)

Envy gives rise to “every evil practice” for which we must repent…

Self-reliance, Self-assurance, Disobedience, The sin of our lips, Unbelief, Offense, Legalism, Judgment, Foolish behaviour, Gossip, Gluttony and Pride.

All are born out of some level of envy.

An envious person maligns his or her own dignity. His heart becomes a stronghold for the devil. He doesn’t “hunger and thirst for righteousness” instead he is consumed by what others have…

“You want what you don’t have, so you kill to get it. You long for what others have, and can’t afford it, so you start a fight to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. And even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” – James 4:2-3 (TLB)

It is an excessive appetite for things, those things of the earth that cannot satisfy. An envious person drinks but their thirst for worldliness is never quenched. The more they see, the more they want.

Have you set up an idol of gold in your heart? Do you long for what others have and can’t afford it?

Envy walks hand-in-hand with covetousness. They are two sides of the same coin, and both are sin.

Have you heard of a man named Ahab? Ahab was a king, a king who coveted his neighbour Naboth’s vineyard and offered to buy it, but the vineyard was an inheritance, so Naboth declined the king’s offer. Long story short, Ahab’s wife seeing her husband’s distress over desiring something he could not have, devised a wicked plan which ended in Naboth being stoned to death. You can read about it in 1 Kings 21:1-16, however, please do not stop at verse 16, read all of chapter 21.

An envious person is a joyless person, living a life that is devoid of any kind of true contentment. Apostle Paul said that he had learned to be content under any circumstances. That’s because his contentment was not wrapped up or dependant on the material, his contentment wasn’t external but internal, it was through his relationship with Christ Jesus. Through Christ who gave him the strength to face whatever the situation.

Envy extinguishes the flame of joy in the soul.

King Ahab was greedy and that is the hallmark of envy. Like Judas, envious people foam at the mouth for greed. The king’s wife reacted to his greediness thinking up of a way that her husband’s hunger for another’s possession could be satisfied and then acted on that thought. Let’s look at what Jesus Himself said,

“Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and say!...For food doesn’t come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the digestive system.” (By saying this he showed that every kind of food is kosher.) And then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly.” – Mark 7:15 & 19-22 (TLB)

And James,

“For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” – James 3:16 (NIV)

Envy is rebellion against the Word; it is rebellion against God. Envy is not born from above but is an earthly construct that can lead to other deranged sinful behaviours.

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)

Sadly, there are those in church who stir up strife because they are uncomfortable when they see others comfortable, and troubled when others succeed. People who profess godliness should rejoice in the success of others, not be envious of another’s fame and fortune.

Following Apostle Paul’s lead, we must also learn to be “content whatever the circumstances, whether in abundance or in need” (Philippians 4:11-13). Instead, we covet and long for and wish for and we ask but we have no patience to wait upon God. Our eyes are so full, that we cannot see the promises of God.

Those who persist in their gluttonous pursuits will only end up partakers of the devil’s supper, where only two courses are served, weeping and gnashing of the teeth.

If you read all of 1 Kings 21, you would see that God intended to severely punish Ahab and his wife and sent the prophet Elijah to inform the king of their fate…

“…dogs shall lick your blood outside the city just as they licked the blood of Naboth!...the dogs of Jezreel shall tear apart the body of your wife, Jezebel” (verses 19 & 23 TLB)

Naboth’s blood, like Abel’s, after Cain murdered him out of envy, cried out. Whose blood is crying out because of your envy toward them?

Those who harbour envy, like king Ahab, are “completely sold out to the devil” (v 25 TLB)

Upon hearing God’s indictment, Ahab “tore his clothing, put on rags, fasted, slept in sackcloth, and went about in deep humility” (v 27 TLB). In other words, Ahab, filled with profound remorse over what he had done, and allowed his wife to do, repented.  

Beloved, it will never serve you to master an envious disposition. Root out envy with indignation and “rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2:1 NIV)

Today, let us take a good look at what is deep within, go to God, humble and broken, and let us repent of envy.

May God empty out His oil of Joy upon you and fill you with His Peace “which surpasses all understanding, (to) guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

Amen †

 



Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Envy“ © April 5, 2025

 



Friday, 4 April 2025

The Abundant Life

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

What is this abundant life that our Lord Jesus is talking about? Read the verse again.

Now read the following verses,

“… in Him was life…” (John 1:4)

“…so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:19)

“then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

When the evil one deceived Eve in the Garden causing both Eve and Adam to fall into disobedience to the Word of God, their connection to the fullness of Life was broken.

From the very beginning they had been given abundant Life, in that, God had breathed His own Life into them; He was in them, and they were in Him, but that intimacy was lost when they chose death over Life.

“…today I have set before you life or death…Oh, that you would choose life…” (see Deuteronomy 30:19) 

Their way of relating to God and God to them had been set out of kilter as they aligned themselves with the devil; their experience was no more of abundance but had become one of limitation.

This is what we have inherited.

However, there is Good News – Jesus! Our loving God who became incarnate so that the abundant Life that is in Him and that is Him might be restored through His finished work at Calvary.

God Himself is Life and He had given Himself [Life] directly to Adam and He gave Himself [Life] to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave His Life that each and every one of us might have Life and have it in abundance.

Understand that Jesus gave all of Himself; His Life in all its fullness; everything He is, was graciously and lovingly given to us.

“…Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)

So…what have you done with the Life God has given you?

Today, at this very moment, you have the opportunity to receive that Life and receive it abundantly, if you would surrender the limitation of life that you now have for the fullness of Life in Christ Jesus.

The initial process is not a difficult one. It requires no tools or gadgets, just a repentant heart (see Psalm 50:17), a heart to believe and a mouth to confess (see Romans 10:10).

Simply say,

Jesus is Lord! And I believe with all my heart that Jesus is the Son of God, He died so that my sins may be forgiven once and for all, and God raised Him from death. Jesus, my desire is that You be Lord of my life so that I may know true Life in all its fullness. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

 



 

Shelley Johnson “The Abundant Life” © 2013 revisited April 4, 2025

Thursday, 3 April 2025

Seeking God’s Presence, not His presents

God is not your spiritual Santa Claus! Yes, God does give you gifts, and His gifts are all good, but God does not want you to be more interested in what He gives than in knowing who He is.

Santa Claus comes, leaves gifts under a tree or in a stocking and in a flash, He is off to another house. Santa does not stick around; he is not interested in spending any time with the recipients of his gifts, as a matter of fact, he’s so not interested that he only comes once a year in the dead of night when all are fast asleep.

Santa Claus does not want any type of relationship with you. Yet you want to treat God like Santa, focusing primarily on the gifts and not on the Giver; you’re consumed with His presents and not His Presence.

 God is no Santa Claus, He desires above all else to be in intimate relationship with you. And that is what you should also desire – close fellowship and communion with God – to know God intimately. The only way to know God intimately is to spend time with Him. Study His Word, communicate with Him through prayer, and according to David, you are to “seek, inquire for and insistently require” God so that you may consistently be in His Presence.

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4 (AMPC)

Make God the priority over things. Pursue God, crave Him and put aside your desire for things. Turn away from the ‘what’ and fix your eyes on the ‘Who’.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (see Matthew 6:33). In other words, what you should want most, above all else is to be in God’s Kingdom – the realm of God’s reign, where you may enjoy the blessings of God now – and His Son Jesus Christ, Who is the Righteousness of God.

Notice that Matthew 6:33 ends with a promise, “and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Here is another promise of God,

“if my people will humble themselves and pray, and search for me, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 (TLB)

Beloved, when your motive is to be in His Presence, it’s then you receive everything that you need.

Amen †

 



Shelley Johnson “Seeking God’s Presence, not His Presents” © 2013 revisited April 3, 2025

Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Metanoeō

Some of you may have come across the Greek verb metanoeō, pronounced meta-no-way-yo, before but for those of you who are seeing this word for the first time, it is translated “to change one’s mind” or “to repent”.

What a great word to learn during the Lenten season, a time when persons engage in personal reflection, fasting, sacrificing and repentance. Metanoeō, to repent, should never be confined to a season. There is absolutely no repentance timeline.

The act of metanoeō – changing our minds, turning the course of our lives – should be an ongoing process as we journey through this life.

In both the Old and New Testaments, we encounter repentance repeatedly. A well-known case concerns the people of Nineveh who repented, their king proclaimed that “All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.” (Jonah 3:8 NRSVUE), and God gave them a respite for close to two hundred years.

God, as you know, does not change in His intrinsic characteristics but God does change His mind from time to time. Verse ten says,

“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind…”

The same verse in the King James version describes God as repenting.

God repents in that He changes His intentions towards situations, circumstances and people. We see it happening in Exodus 32:14 (KJV),

“And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”

In 1 Samuel 15:10-11 we read,

‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,” It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments.”’ (KJV)

Because God is in relationship with people (that’s all of us) who are constantly changing their minds about one thing or another from one moment to the next, He also changes His mind as the circumstances warrant – from wrath to mercy, from blessing to judgment, from destruction to salvation. However, our repentance demands a change of course from bad to good, from worse to better, from sin to righteousness, from the old life to new life in Christ.

For us, metanoeō must be a deliberate act of crossing from sin-centeredness to God-centeredness. Repentance has to be a conscious decision from our hearts in response to God’s grace and mercy.

In Acts chapter 20 verse 21, Paul describes repentance as a necessity, a radical life-change from sin to God. A radical life-change leads to conversion, as recorded in Acts 2:37-42.

After the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, Peter, addressing the assembled crowd said,

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38 (NRSVUE)

Peter went on urging them to “…get out of this sick and stupid culture!” (v 40 MSG)

Three thousand people heeded Peter’s call to change their lives and turn to God; they were converted that day (v 41).

Are you willing to get out of the sick and stupid lifestyle you’re leading?

Beloved, when you did not know about Jesus, His life, death and resurrection, God would overlook your ignorance but now that you know, He is calling you…

He is calling on you to get rid of everything that you have placed above and before Him; things and people that can never save you and give you the life of abundance found only in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Listen, it’s not about religion, like the religious men of Athens who had many altars upon which was inscribed “To the Unknown God” (see Acts 17:22-23). This is about you and God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those religious men knew of God, but they did not know God, but you do. And even if you do not know God very well, you have an opportunity right now to get to know Him better than just a passing thought.

Metanoeō, repent, change your mind, and turn to God.

Amen †

 



 

 

Shelley Johnson “Metanoeō” © April 1, 2025

 

 

 

Tuesday, 1 April 2025

The Sacrifice of Gifts and Talents


“In the beginning, God created…”
Genesis 1:1

With these few words we are introduced to the original Artist, the supreme Creative, God Almighty. Creativity, an essential part of God’s divine nature, is an essential part of our nature, imbedded in all of us as we are created in His image and after His likeness.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” – Genesis 1:26 (KJV)

God intended for us to use this implanted creativity for His will and His purpose; it’s meant to be as functional as it is beautiful to look at (Genesis 2:9).

It is God who has given us the ability to create as He creates.

We are repeatedly exhorted to offer up spiritual sacrifices, especially in the form of praise, prayer, and thanksgiving.

David, a man after God’s own heart, knew the importance of this, as evidenced by all the beautiful Psalms he wrote.

The importance of praising, praying and giving thanks can never be overemphasized but just as we are to offer up these spiritual sacrifices, there are other aspects of our lives which we should also surrender to God.

Our time, our money, our gifts and our talents and, we are also called to surrender ourselves as living sacrifices.

Paul appeals to us, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, by the mercies of God, holy and acceptable to God, he describes it as our spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)

Yes, offering yourself is your ultimate sacrifice and part of you are your God-given gifts and talents which involve your creativity.

Each one of us is blessed with a gift or talent of some kind. These blessings are not just for our own indulgence, no…we are expected to share these possessions with others.

Hebrews 13:16 (NRSVUE) tells us,

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Understand that giving to others from our physical substance is just as spiritual as any other sacrifice and therefore we are not to neglect this form of sacrifice. We are to pour ourselves out for God and for one another.

Sacrificing our gifts and talents unto God ensures that when we pour them out, it is how He desires it to be done. We must never do anything in our own volition because the Kingdom of God – His rule and reign – extends to our gifts and talents.

We should be expressing these God-given gifts and talents in our church services via storytelling, poetry, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts which have the ability to influence others in powerfully meaningful ways, especially when we allow God to direct their use for His glory.

God specifically called Bezalel to make “artistic designs” as recorded in Exodus 31:1-6.

Unfortunately, we are not always encouraged by the church to use these forms of expression. As a matter of fact, permission is often denied and creativity invalidated by church leaders.

I know of a young dynamic preacher who got a vision of a service where the prescribed Scripture readings were dramatized and there was more singing of hymns and worship songs than talking but when he presented this idea to the leadership of his church he was emphatically shot down.  

Creatives are too often discouraged, being told that faith is not compatible with artistic expression. But who is to say that artistic expression is not a spiritual calling?

We are meant to reflect the original Artist in all that we do. Our various and diverse gifts and talents are God’s good gifts to us and should be integrated into the life of the church. Don't you think?

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” James 1:17 (KJV)

Let us recognize from whom gifts and talents have been received and sacrifice them to Him, the Supreme Creative, so that they will be developed to achieve their fullest potential.

The season of Lent is a season of sacrifice and offering ourselves as a living sacrifice includes our creative selves which is infused into who we are.

God is waiting for us to enter into His Presence, surrendering our praise, our prayers, our thanks, our gifts, our talents and ourselves as sacrifices unto Him.

Amen †

 

 



 

Shelley Johnson “The Sacrifice of Gifts and Talents” © March 31, 2025

 

 

Monday, 31 March 2025

God gives without measure

As we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice, we need to truly grasp the effect this event has wrought upon this earth. It is not possible to overestimate the value of the gift of the Cross.

God gave us His best, His beloved Son, who, via this most cruel and barbaric form of death…

removed our sins completely and forever,

healed all our diseases,

brought us into spiritual union with God,

made us righteous in God’s eyes,

conquered death,

utterly destroyed our unseen spiritual adversary,

gained our freedom,

and gave us eternal life.

This agonizing and humiliating act of perfect obedience, borne from a love that is too great to fully understand gave us so much and much more.

Jesus Christ, “who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2 NRSVUE) to provide the way for us to be reconciled to God. He gave the ultimate gift of Himself as a ransom for every human being, not grudgingly but from a heart filled with love for all His people.

We, like Christ, must also give; give of ourselves to God, and give to others, from our hearts, cheerfully, with good intentions, out of sincerity and without worrying about the cost. God did not count the cost then and does not count the cost now. He gave and is still giving because God gives without measure.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “God gives without measure” © 2013 revisited March 31, 2025