Discernment

 

When I was a child, our Christmas tree did not appear until Christmas day; on the night of Christmas Eve, the house would be bare of any hint of Christmas as I was shuttled off to bed but on Christmas morning, I would wake up to an assault on my senses. The smell of ham baking and of cakes already baked, and the aroma of the living pine tree; the flurry of colourful decorations that adorned the tree together with the prettiest of drapes on every window were a thrill for my eyes and under the tree, a mountain of gifts patiently waiting to be torn open. Happiness.

My mother, I thought, must be superhuman. How did she do all this in a single night?

Then, I became an adult with my own home. For the first few years, I tried to keep up the tradition but coming home late from work and with two young children, my question remained – how did my mother do it? Nostalgic about his own childhood, my husband, who relished the excitement of the Christmas Eve rush, was sorely disappointed that we could not maintain that tradition. That Christmas we were about to do something brand-new.

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (MSG)

This is what God says,
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?

We are always hard-pressed to let go of traditions. We become so nostalgic about what we used to do or how things used to be – we keep going over old history. Nothing is wrong with reminiscing but clinging to the past can blind us to the new thing that God is doing in our lives.

To be blind to what God is doing refers more to the lack of spiritual discernment than to the physical lack of sight. If we are living in our past, we can never be attentive to what is happening around us in the present.

God wants us to be alert and to be present – He is the God of now, after all, God never introduced Himself as “I WAS” or I WILL BE”, but “I AM”. He knows our past and is aware of our future, but He is in our present.

Beloved, even now God is calling you into the present, so that you may be able to discern His brand-new move in your life. He does not want you to miss out on experiencing the true Source of spiritual power. God knows the dangers of being overly fixated on what has passed.

Keep in mind that even if you don’t see the new thing that God is doing, that doesn’t mean that something isn’t happening, for He is the God who creates new things out of nothing (ref. Romans 4:17).

The same God who did something brand-new in Isaiah’s day is the same God who is doing something brand-new in your life today.

Pray for discernment – vision to see spiritually.

 

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Discernment” © 2026 October 30, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Remember Lot’s wife

 

“On that day someone who is on the roof of a house must not go down into the house to get any belongings; in the same way anyone who is out in the field must not go back to the house. Remember Lot's wife!” – Luke 17:31-32 (GNT)

Jesus was talking to His disciples. He had just responded to some Pharisees who had asked Him about the coming of the Kingdom of God. To them, Jesus said,

The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you. – Luke 17:20-21 (GNT)

Then, Jesus turned to His disciples to explain further, and it was in this explanation that He cautioned, Remember Lot’s wife.

Notice that immediately before that, Jesus had warned the disciples to not go back. What did Lot’s wife do? She neither went down nor went back, however, she looked back.

Lot’s wife looked back to where she had once been.

Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62 (GNT)

Let’s say you’re in an awful relationship; you’ve prayed endlessly for a way to escape. God answers your prayer, spectacularly. He gives you a final instruction, “Do not look back.”

But you have your doubts, not that you don’t believe it’s God’s doing but still, you’re conflicted, double-minded (see James 1:7-8). You’re walking away but there’s a painful yearning for what was.

Like Lot’s wife, you haven’t truly detached yourself from Sodom. She paid the consequences which were dire and if you’re not careful, you will too. Lot’s wife physically walked away but her heart was still tied to Sodom and so, she suffered the fate of the Sodomites as if she had remained in the city.

Remember Lot’s wife.

This was just a simple example but there’s so much more to “looking back” when it comes to our Christian walk. The Christian walk is a forward journey; it is a path of progression that demands total commitment to the direction we have chosen to take. Looking back to whatever we have left behind reveals a divided heart.

If your heart is not in it then you’re not prepared to plow ahead. The capacity required for Kingdom living involves dedication to Jesus. Attachment to the past prevents us from advancing in this spiritual life. That’s the spiritual reality.

Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God is within you that’s because the Kingdom of God is not confined to any physical place.

When God said to Jeremiah, “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33 GNT), it demonstrated that the Kingdom of God is not external but an internal manifestation in the hearts of those who surrender their lives to Him.

Jesus was then and is now the living manifestation of the Kingdom within us.

Too many of us are looking back. Stop trying to go back to the life you left behind.

Beloved, clinging to what was prevents you from embracing what is. It’s difficult but you must walk away from anything that’s detrimental to your spiritual life.

You must Remember Lot’s wife and don’t be salty, instead take time to honestly examine your heart. Are you yearning for whatever or whoever God has removed from your life? Are you looking back to the past longingly?

It’s time to throw off the fetters of the past, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13 AMP).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Remember Lot’s wife” © 2026 October 28, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut it off

 

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell

Those were Jesus’ words recorded in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verses 43 to 47.

“cut it off”…“cut it off”…“pluck it out”

Then, Jesus quotes Isaiah 66:24,

“where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”

Jesus’ warnings are not meant to instil fear but to awaken us to the seriousness of the consequences of causing anyone who believes in Him to stumble (ref. Mark 9:42).

These are warnings that we must take to heart, for it not only applies to causing others to stumble but to our own selves, as many times we engage in actions of spiritual self-sabotage.

More often than not, following Jesus entails the cutting off of certain parts of our lives. We know in our spirits exactly what those parts are. Sometimes it’s types of behaviour, sometimes it’s people and most times it’s both.

When part of yourself is spiritually destroying you, cut it off. It’ll be loss that results in eternal gain.

As Jesus said, It is better for you to enter life maimed, crippled and with one eye, than to have everything intact and be thrown into hell.

After all, what good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)

Beloved, life demands critical decisions and walking the spiritual journey is no different.

You have to determine whether or not you will remain on the path or allow yourself to be diverted off it because it’s not always an easy walk. Chances are you will stumble from time to time, but you must decide if you will let yourself fall or if you will steady yourself and continue on – where your soul spends eternity depends on the decisions you make today.

So, whatever it is that’s causing you to stumble, cut it off.

Amen †

Note: All readings are from the NIV

Shelley Johnson “Cut it off” © 2026, October 27, 2026

Churchgoers, you need to stop

 

Churchgoers, you need to stop!

Not stop going to church, stop judging people who don’t “look the part”. Please, don’t pretend, you know what you do.

Someone comes to church, but you think the person doesn’t look Christian enough or at all so, you’re quick to pass judgment on that person.

This person and that person isn’t one of us so, you label the person.

Sister Elaine is not a member of your church clique so, she better not sit in your pew.

Every Sunday you are in church, yet you do not speak to brother Randy because you find him standoffish.

Churchgoers, you need to stop.

Stop feeling that you are better than or more deserving than or more Christian than; you might just get a rude awakening when you say, “Lord, Lord”. How many times will it take hearing sermons on Matthew 7:21-23 before it takes root? It’s as if you are determined to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah, you will be ever hearing but never understanding (ref. Matthew 13:14 NIV).

If what Matthew recorded Jesus as saying has never even nudged you, maybe what Mark recorded will.

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” – Mark 9:38 (NIV)

Imagine someone is actually driving out demons, not anyhow but in the Name above all names, and because John and the other disciples did not consider this person to be, one of us, they told the person to stop.

Does this sound familiar? A believer from another church or of a different denomination to yours or even one in your own congregation is clearly Spirit led but because she or he isn’t one of us, you and your fellow churchgoers put a stop to whatever this believer is doing in Jesus’ name.

I’ve seen this happen countless times. As simple as a young believer, praising God by playing a tambourine, being told to stop because certain persons were offended by the noise. Imagine that. And when I tell you, I had never heard a tambourine played like that in church before or since. But she was not one of them.

Sadly, she never played again and eventually she left altogether.

What was Jesus’ response?

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” – Mark 9:39-41 (NIV)

Mull over that for a minute.

Whoever is not against us is for us. Not my words.

Anyone who gives you a cup of water in Jesus’ name because of the mere fact that you belong to Him, will certainly not lose their reward. Not my words.

Why do Churchgoers seem to be always against churchgoers?

And immediately after that, Jesus went on to say,

“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” – Mark 9:42 (NIV)

Churchgoers, you need to stop causing other believers to stumble; this is a warning from Jesus. Again, not my words.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Churchgoers, you need to stop” © 2026 October 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a reminder

 

Today, no long talk, just a reminder…

Romans 3:21-24 (MSG)

But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Beloved, your sins can never eclipse the light of His grace and mercy.

Amen †

 

A play on words: Hamartia

 

I very recently came across the word “hamartia”. Perhaps you've seen it before, but it was new to me. It’s a noun in English but its origin is a Greek verb – “hamartanein”.

This is our English definition of “hamartia”:

a fatal flaw, error in judgment, or misstep that causes a hero or protagonist to suffer a major downfall

And this is the Greek meaning of the verb from which it’s derived:

To miss the mark

Picture an archer; he positions his body in line with his target, now poised to release the arrow, he controls his breath, aims at the target, draws the bowstring and releases the arrow. The arrow sails through the air but completely misses the target.

What went wrong?

The archer’s precision may have been off, or perhaps he wasn’t properly aligned with his intended target, or maybe his issue was an inconsistent anchor point. Whatever the problem, he missed the mark, the arrow deviated from its prescribed path.

Like the archer’s arrow, Adam deviated from his prescribed path when he indulged in eating the fruit that God had specifically warned him not to eat.

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” – Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)

Adam strayed off the right path, he missed the mark and his disobedience to God was the entry point for sin.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. – Romans 5:12 (NLT)

The writers of the New Testament primarily used the word “hamartia” which was translated to English as “sin”.

As mentioned before, “hamartia” literally means to miss the mark; it’s deviating from God's purpose.

In John 15:22, it implies a moral and spiritual condition of separation from God.

They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin. (NLT)

Much broader than what our English word "sin" implies, “hamartia”, both in English and in Greek, applies not only to behaviour, but aptly describes our human affliction.

According to Isaiah 59:2, sin results in separation from God and Jesus Himself warned unbelievers saying,

“I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.” – John 8:21(NLT)

Beloved, Jesus came to bridge that gap of separation. He leads you along the path of righteousness, however, if you choose to continue feeding your sinful nature, then you cannot go where Jesus is going and you will die in your sin.

Why not accept Jesus’ invitation to follow Him? The opportunity has a time, and that time is today; remember, tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A play on words: Hamartia” © 2026 October 24, 2026

 

A play on words: Ginosko

  

Ginosko is a Greek word which means to, “know”, “come to know”, “recognize” and “perceive”.

Ginosko is not head knowledge but lived experience; it’s not data but a lived revelation.

As Jesus said,

everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock – Matthew 7:24 (NIV)

Jesus here, is speaking of spiritual wisdom which isn’t determined by what you know, but by living what you know.

Unlike our English verb “know”, the Greek “ginosko” carries the implication of a full, intuitive, and penetrating knowledge.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? – Matthew 16:8 (NIV)

It’s a keen awareness; it’s an absolute knowing – that you know that you know that you know – something that emanates from deep within. Jesus had perceived the disciples’ bewilderment.

Ginosko also speaks of intimate knowledge, as in Mary’s encounter with Archangel Gabriel.

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” – Luke 1:34 (NKJV)

In this context, the word “ginosko” is used idiomatically to indicate that Mary had not experienced sexual intimacy with a man.

When Jesus spoke of knowing the Father in John 8:55, again it implies an intimate and relational knowledge, based on His personal experience.

Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. (NIV)

Beloved, even though “ginosko” has been translated to English in our bibles as “to know”, “to come to know”, “recognize” and “perceive”, with a play on words, still there is no equivalent to truly convey what this Greek word implies.

Ginosko is experiential knowledge, it is therefore not abstract, or theoretical, or merely intellectual but so much deeper.

When Jesus said, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14 NIV), He was not speaking superficially, Jesus was speaking of being in close, personal and intimate relationship with His sheep, that’s you.

And Jesus knowing you, is you experiencing everything that “ginosko” encompasses being in a real living relationship with Him, right now.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “A play on words: Ginosko” © 2026 October 23, 2026