A very special Lamp

Have you ever tried walking around in the dark? Even though your eyes may adjust, chances are you may still stumble, especially if you’ve found yourself in an unfamiliar place in pitch black darkness. Whatever the case may be, trying to find your way in the dark is disconcerting and frightening. 

Sometimes life can seem like that…like wandering around and groping about in the dark not at all sure of which way you ought to go. In reference to your life, “the dark” is not being used to describe literal physical darkness but is being used metaphorically to symbolize a certain reality, concept, state of being or mind. 

To be in the dark speaks of ignorance, especially about God and the things of God, spiritual blindness, walking in error – known or unknown, sorrow, gloom, and distress. Darkness here goes far beyond the literal sense, being more than the absence of light. But do you know that you’ve been given a very special lamp; a lamp whose light darkness can neither comprehend nor overcome; a lamp that can light the way like no other?

This lamp is an extraordinary source of light…this lamp allows you to see life in a different dimension and from a different perspective…this lamp, as bright as its light is, and as much as you may desire it to light up the entire path that you’re on, only illuminates one step at a time, shedding its light on the next step that you must take, no other…this lamp is the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your Word is a lamp to walk by, and a light to illumine my path.” (NET Bible)

The Word as a lamp is so very special, because of its three-fold nature, for it is the written Word of God, the spoken Word of God, and the Living Word of God – a three-in-one lamp that gives your life proper direction.

God has designed His Word to shed light on every situation and circumstance in which you can ever find yourself. Every word in God’s Word is like an individual beam of light coming together to form one amazing lamp. 

“For the commandments are like a lamp, instruction is like a light…” - Proverbs 6:23 (NET Bible)

God’s Word will not only illuminate the darkness around you (see Psalm 18:28) but when you read it, listen to it, speak it, pray it, and meditate on it, its light shines in your heart (see 2 Corinthians 4:6) and you are enlightened because according to Psalm 119:130, the entrance of His Word brings light and understanding, allowing ordinary people to truly see and find their way.

In the dark you cannot find your way. God does not want you to walk in the dark, He wants to bring you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. He wants to guide your every step. 

“…by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are My promises: I made them, I will not forsake them.” – Isaiah 42:16 (NABRE)

If you allow God to guide your steps by the light of His very special Lamp, His Word, He promises to turn every obstacle into steppingstones on the pathway of an incredible life.

Amen† 

A very special Lamp    Shelley Johnson 25-Jul-2016

There’s light at Evening Time

A few nights ago, as I lay awake reading, I came across verse seven of Zechariah chapter fourteen which the author had quoted. It wasn’t the entire verse that leapt out at me, just the very last part, it read, 

“…but at evening time there will be light.”

Those words conjured up a vision in my head, of a natural day with its cycles and I began to imagine the various times of the day and what they might represent spiritually. To me, the daylight period is like a time of close communion and fellowship with God. A time when you feel an incredible connection to Father, Son, and Spirit. A time when all is well with your soul – a happy, carefree, and exciting time.

The day time reminds me of when you’ve only just started your spiritual journey and a new world is opening up right before your eyes because God has given you a brand new perspective on life, and life is great. This period seems as if it would never end – there’s so much light, an illumination of biblical truths once deemed incomprehensible.

 

Yet, as the day wears on, ever so gradually the light begins to fade, and eventually evening comes and you become keenly aware that soon it will be night time, a period of darkness comparable to times of trial and testing sore. You’re not ignorant of the fact that evening always ushers in the night. But as I imagine the evening time, with its setting sun, all I could envision is the beauty that the diminishing light creates and it is at that very moment that I hear, “…but at evening time there will be light.” 

There’s light at evening time. What a sobering thought…

  

Even when it appears as though the light is dwindling, and you begin to question if what you’d experienced with God during the day time was real, and the more the light fades the more it feels as if God Himself is drifting further and further away from you, and the onset of a sense of loss, rejection, and abandonment is unmistakable…God is still there, for God is Light and He is always present, no matter what. And this is what you must keep in mind…at evening time there’s still light, and that light creates a beautiful sight. 

It’s a vision you must hold on to as you enter that period where you begin to feel completely disconnected from God. Do not rely on your feelings, now is the time when you must draw on the confidence you had in God when the light was at its brightest because it is in the coming darkness that He intends to complete the work He is doing in you.

Please understand, if you are to grow spiritually, evening time must come and night time must follow. These are necessary periods of transition on your spiritual journey. 

During the day time many things are revealed and you gain a better apprehension of the spiritual, but God wants you to enter into an even deeper level of communion, fellowship, and understanding and that involves a time when you’re not going to be able to see the very next step in front of you, a time of not knowing, a time when you simply have to trust God. 

Amen†

There’s light at Evening Time    Shelley Johnson 22-Jul-2016

What does God require of you?

Just as in the time of Micah, people still believe that God requires us to observe and adhere to particular impossible-to-keep rules, perform extreme sacrifices, do “good works” and even strive for absolute perfection, but God responds to that type of belief today the same way He responded then,

“No, the Lord has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God.” (Micah 6:8 GNT)

From this verse we can clearly see that what we believe God requires vastly differs from what He actually requires of us. 

Using Jesus’ life as an example, God has not only told us what is good, He has shown us what is good, and it has to do with the way we treat others. Jesus tells us that we must love our fellow man as we love ourselves. Someone who really loves himself would never purposely injure himself, he’d always seek what is best for himself and therein lies the “good”. Being good is about our actions, and behavior towards other people. 

In Numbers 10:29 Moses said to Hobab, “Come with us, and we will be good to you…” – other translations read, “…and we will treat you well…” To treat each other well is what God wants us to do, it is what He requires of us. This tells me that the treatment of our neighbor is very important to God.

According to Micah, it’s about being fair and just, not biased and judgmental; constantly expressing godly love by being compassionate and kind, and looking so far beyond flaws that you’re able to turn the other cheek; to have such love and respect for God that your desire is to please Him always, being in a state of acquiesce, obedient to His voice, and allowing God to be involved in your life in an intimate personal way (see Deuteronomy 10:12).

God has been good to each and every one of us. He has not given to us the punishment we truly deserve. Instead God has dealt justly with us, constantly showing us such unconditional love that we can hardly grasp its depth, and despite our imperfections is desirous of being in fellowship with us. 

From this day, strive to return the favour by giving to God what He requires of you – doing what is just; showing constant love; and living in humble fellowship with God.

Amen† 

What does God require of you?    Shelley Johnson 20-Jul-2016

Safe Walking

“You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:33 (ESV)

What safer way to walk but “in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you”. You see, God’s way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). He will never lead you down the wrong path, He will always lead you the right way. Though at times the right way may seem daunting with its hardships, crosses to bear, and its losses to endure, keep going, and keep listening to God’s voice behind you whispering, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21)

Walking with God is safe walking. It is walking by faith, not by sight. Faith that fearlessly follows His guiding Pillar (see Exodus 13), for you can find yourself in danger when you follow your own path and walk your own way – leaning on your own understanding, choosing what is evil rather than what is good. But when, like Caleb, you possess that different spirit to follow God wholeheartedly, and trust Him completely, He will show you which path to take.

Your prayer today need only be a simple one, 

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. (Psalm 25:4)

Amen†

Safe Walking   Shelley Johnson 19-Jul-2016

Gift-wrapped Garbage

I was enjoying a movie early Sunday afternoon when suddenly it dawned on me just how much obscene language was in it. And, even though the story-line was very interesting I chose to change the channel. You see, it made me think of how easy it is to allow the things of this world to pollute our minds and I felt, that as a Christian, it was disrespecting the Holy Spirit of God living inside me. 

Perhaps we’ve grown so accustomed to the corruption of this world that it’s now considered the norm and our senses have become numb to it. Too often we, as Christians, compromise – saying things like, “it’s just a little bit of cursing, or vulgarity, or obscenity, or whatever the case may be” – but it’s time to take a stand. Oftentimes our response to sin and those things that can cause us to “fall into evil” (see Proverbs 17:20) is diluted to an attitude of indifference. That’s not good enough, it’s a cop-out. It’s either God’s way or the world’s way, we cannot be carnal lukewarm Christians, neither cold nor hot (see Revelation 3:15-16).

Proverbs 8:13 (AMP) tells us, “The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil”. God hates evil – He hates the sin but loves the sinner with a redemptive love.

If our reverential fear of God is genuine then we need to be very mindful about what we give access to, hating sin as much as God does; it’s not any and every thing we should allow to enter into our hearts and minds. Yes, it’s difficult to avoid certain images and influences but we need not have them cling to us. We must be vigilant to turn our eyes away from all those worthless and meaningless things that distract (see Psalm 119:37).

Understand that Satan is very skillful in disguising sin – he makes it interesting, inviting, and entertaining. A master of subtlety, he wraps sin up like an irresistible present, making it so appealing that you commit sin without even realizing that that’s what you’re doing. But sin is gift-wrapped garbage designed to lure, corrupt and eventually destroy. 

Today, let us pray that God will give us the power of discernment, so that we may quickly recognize Satan’s gift-wrapped garbage and not be deceived by its shiny packaging. Let us pray that God would teach us His way of hating sin yet loving the sinner, for we have all sinned and fall terribly short of His glory, but praise be to God, by the gift of His grace, we are put right with Him through Jesus Christ (see Romans 3:23-24).

Amen†

Gift-wrapped Garbage    Shelley Johnson 17-Jul-2016

Speak what the Word says, not what you feel…

“ And we will never stop thanking God for this: that when we preached to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own, but you accepted what we said as the very Word of God—which, of course, it was—and it changed your lives when you believed it.”

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 – GNT)

According to 1 Thessalonians 2:13, God’s Word is able to change your life, when you believe it. That’s because God has assigned creative, life-changing power to His Word – power to accomplish His will. So, be cautious in taking a casual approach to the Word. When you speak the Word you are tapping into the inherent power of the Divine.

You must understand that the Word does not only refer to the written words of the Bible but also to the spoken word – it encompasses both the written, “logos”, and the spoken, “rhema”, words of God. But this concept goes even deeper than that since the Bible tells us plainly that the Word of God is the incarnate Christ, the Word made flesh, the Living Word (see John 1:1), and the Spirit of God who dwells in the heart of every believer is also the Word (see Hebrews 4:12-13).

Psalm 138:2 explains that God has promoted His Word to the highest rank of importance for it says, “…You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” Now if God has exalted and glorified His own Word, shouldn’t we? Clearly nothing is more important to Him and we must learn to lean on and trust in His Word.

Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV)

Your mouth is for eating and for speaking. The spoken word is of extreme importance. Whatever comes out of your mouth should be the words of God, because if you have been "eating" the Word and believing it, you ought to speak it. God’s Word contains the power to create (see Genesis 1). God’s will is executed by the spoken word.

Determine today to give God’s Word the highest place in your life. If you take the Word to heart and believe it, speak it (2 Corinthians 4:13) and God promises to do great work in you. You see, speaking the Word brings to life God’s plan and purpose for you (Isaiah 46:10). So, keep in mind, when you believe and speak, you will have whatever you say (Mark 11:23) because “no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment” (Luke 1:37). 

Listen, God Himself watches over His Word to perform it in your life (Jeremiah 1:12). 

God is working in you right now, changing your life, whether you feel it or not, so speak what the Word says, not what you feel.

Amen†

Speak what the Word says, not what you feel… Shelley Johnson 16-Jul-2016

Disqualified?

Recently I was told that someone had said, “I was disobedient to God; I did things I shouldn’t have, and therefore I have been disqualified.”

When I heard this, my immediate thought was, “Disqualified? I wonder how many others believe that the wrong they’ve done is so great that they now consider themselves disqualified.”

The Gospel of Matthew gives us the detailed ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that genealogy, four women, whose backgrounds are less than reputable, are mentioned. They are, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

1. Tamar deceived her own father-in-law, pretending to be a prostitute in order to become pregnant by him (see Genesis 38).
   
2. Rahab was a prostitute from Jericho, one of the principal seats of idol worship (see Joshua 2).
   
3. Ruth, though a woman of noble character, was from Moab and therefore a Gentile and considered unclean (see the Book of Ruth).
   
4. Bathsheba committed adultery with David (see 2 Samuel).

All these women, sinful yet used by God not in any ordinary way but in the very genealogy of Jesus. So, what can we all learn from this? What is God telling us?

“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” – Romans 5:20 (NLT)

God is telling us that His wonderful grace is greater than our sin – "where sin abounds, grace overabounds"! The world may disqualify us but God qualifies us. 

“He saves you from destruction; He supports you with grace and with compassions.” – Psalm 103:4 (ABPE)

Even when your troubles are of your own making, God will turn your situation around if you’ll but go to Him with a repentant heart (see 2 Kings 22:19). 

1 John 1:9 (ERV) tells us that, 

“…if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.”

It is never too late, and your sin is never too great to receive forgiveness from God. Do not ever hesitate to seek God’s forgiveness.

Amen†

Disqualified?   Shelley Johnson 15-Jul-2016

Mark these four ALL’s…

God has given to us a precious promise smothered in His grace – like links of a gorgeous golden chain out of His boundless treasury of ever-flowing grace.

“…God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8 (Berean Study Bible)

Mark these four ALL’s, “all grace”, “all things”, “all times”, and “all that you need”, abounding to you. The number four represents universality, so you are thoroughly covered by God’s all-sufficient grace, His grace is all that you need (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). 

God does not give grace in meagre amounts, He lavishes His grace upon you, for it is from a treasury that can never be emptied – His Throne of Grace from where you find help in your time of every type of need (see Hebrews 4:16).

Beloved, your need can never exhaust God’s precious grace. It is from His fullness, through Jesus Christ, that you have received “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Your own insufficiency in everything lovingly met with all-sufficiency in all things and at all times. Meditate on that a while. 

You have received grace for all circumstances and in all situations – in health and in sickness; in times of peace and times of war; in sunshine and storm; in life and in death. Grace for every believer, the mature believer, the baby believer, tempted, happy, sad, rich, poor, over-worked, and the weak.

Grace to say, even through the tears, “Your will be done Lord”.

Amen†

Mark these four ALL’s…Shelley Johnson 14-Jul-2016

How Have You been Living?

To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. – Romans 8:6 (GNT)

If you are living solely for your own pleasure, and according to your own reasoning, without consultation and guidance from the Spirit, you are spiritually dead. You may be enjoying life by the world’s standard of enjoyment but you are not living an authentic life – that life that brings peace to your very soul. 

How have you been living?

Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 6:8 (NLT),

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

What have you been sowing into your life? Remember whatever you sow, you will reap (v. 7)…that’s just how it works. And those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind (see Hosea 8:7), in other words, sowing to your flesh is worthless, of absolutely no value and from that you can only reap a storm of consequences that will literally blow you away.

Think for a moment about the principle of sowing and reaping…a single seed planted produces an abundance of fruit. In the same way, the sinful-nature-seeds you are planting will bring forth an amplified amount of the same which results in decay, destruction, and death. On the other hand, if you plant Spirit-seeds, you will reap the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) – which results in life and peace, both now and forever. 

Beloved, the simple truth is this: the satisfaction you receive from living controlled by your sinful human nature is temporal, perishable, but the satisfaction you receive from living controlled by the Spirit is eternal, imperishable. 

Amen†

How Have You been Living?   Shelley Johnson 13-Jul-2016

Overstaying Your Welcome

Just thumbing through the Bible, I came across, what I found to be a lovely verse of Scripture,

“Let your foot seldom be in your neighbor’s house, lest he become tired of you and hate you.”

(Proverbs 25:17 AMP)

The way Proverbs 25:17 is written in the Amplified Bible conjures up a picture in my mind of a grandmother or old-aunt talking to a carefree overzealous child, ever so eager to skip from one house to another in her neighbourhood. Actually, it’s reminiscent of my own mother, telling me, as a young girl, “You will over stay your welcome.”

I’m sure that some of you, if not all of you have been given similar or the very same advice. And clearly it was no different in the days of Solomon, who was offering wise counsel to his son. 

Spending an inordinate amount of time with a person or group of people is seldom a good thing. You must give people space, and also have times of solitude for yourself. It’s not that you aren’t to be neighbourly, just not excessively so, otherwise that neighbour will soon get fed up of you, even to the point of despising your visits. As the saying goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt”.

Looking beyond the obvious, we see that this verse is really about exercising self-control. Self-control is listed as one of the elements of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 22:22-23). It is a character quality that God wants developed in us by His Holy Spirit. And something as seemingly simple as knowing how often to visit your neighbour, or how long to stay when you do visit, is a start in that direction. 

Self-control allows you to live a balanced life. Maintaining balance in every area of your life is important, and that includes your relationships with others. If there is a lack of self-control in one area of your life, chances are it is prevalent in other areas as well and this leaves you wide open and exposed to all manner of sinful desires because “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”

(Proverbs 25:28 NLT)

Leaving yourself open like that gives the devil an advantage – he is scouring the earth for any “city with broken-down walls”. So, honestly examine your life, and if you find that you are lacking self-control in any area, pray that you, through the work which God’s presence within accomplishes, will increase in self-control (see 2 Peter 1:3-7) in every part of your life.

Amen†

Overstaying Your Welcome    Shelley Johnson 11-Jul-2016

A Spiritual Shepherd

“Then [in the final time] I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and [true] understanding.” – Jeremiah 3:15 (AMP)

Do you love Me?...Feed My sheep. - John 21:17

The Lord testified that David, at that time a shepherd, was “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). The Lord knew that despite all David’s imperfections, he was someone who would do all that God wanted him to do – David would carry out God’s will in its entirety. That was the type of person God Himself chose to lead His people then and that is the same type of person God desires to lead His people now.

God does not want us malnourished but well fed, and so He raises up spiritual leaders who will serve His purpose. And just as He did with Saul, God will remove any leader who has turned away from Him, intent on allowing their own ambitions, desires, and prideful self-exaltation to supersede His will, His purpose, and His instructions. Remember, sincere, humble, submissive obedience to God’s will, purpose, and instruction, is more pleasing to Him than sacrifice (see 1 Samuel 15:22). An authentic spiritual leader after God’s own heart, is one who makes his will subject to the will of God. He delights himself in the Lord, always seeking to decrease so that God may increase and show forth His glory.

God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7), He knows the deceitfulness of all our hearts, spiritual leaders included. When Jesus, in Matthew 13:24-30, related the parable about the wheat and the weeds He never said that spiritual leaders were excluded from the weeds category.

Do you have a spiritual shepherd – a spiritual leader who has God’s own heart? A spiritual leader who feeds you with knowledge and true understanding as mentioned in Jeremiah 3:15? If you do, then thank God for that person and pray that he or she would continue to be obedient to God’s leading. If you do not have such a leader, then ask God to give you one, Holy Ghost anointed, sustained and strengthened by God’s mighty hand (see Psalm 89:20-21).

Amen†

A Spiritual Shepherd    Shelley Johnson 11-Jul-2016

Let us Pray…

I look up toward the hills (Psalm 121:1)

Gracious God, I come before You in the precious Name of my Lord Jesus to pray according to what You have said in Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” So, I call to You, confident that while I am still talking You will answer my prayer, and ask You to step into (name whatever you need) and bring about a miracle for Your glory. 

Your Word also tells me that if I believe, I will see the glory of God (John 11:40)…and that’s exactly what I have chosen to do, I choose to believe no matter what I feel, see, or hear because anything is possible if I believe (Mark 9:23). I am believing You for a mighty miracle for You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples (Psalm 77:14). 

O God, I give thanks to You who alone does mighty miracles (Psalm 136:4).

Heavenly Father, You have also told me, through Your Beloved Son Jesus, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you…the spirits submit to you.” (Luke 10:19, 20) Moreover, You have given me the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, so that whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18). Hallelujah!

So, in the mighty Name of Jesus I exercise the authority of Almighty God and declare…in and through Jesus Christ I bind every enemy of God that would interfere with the answer to my prayer and the miracle I am believing God to perform.

Dear God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as I stand firmly on Your Word, I thank You in advance for what You are already doing and about to do in my life; for answering my prayer before I even call to You. For Your faithfulness and Your love that endure forever, I thank You. All the glory belongs to You and You only! I offer my prayer in the matchless Name of Jesus Christ with much gratitude, Amen and Amen†

Let us pray…Shelley Johnson 09-Jul-2016

From the Hardest Places, the most Beautiful Things will Grow

When my family and I moved into our newly built home, there was no garden, not even a single blade of grass, just dirt. Hard, dry, tightly packed dirt. To dig a hole was a near to impossible task…it took an acute level of endurance, and much patience but my husband was not daunted by this stubborn ground. He, an avid gardener, with one of the greenest thumbs this side of the equator, was determined that we should have our garden, and, with relentless perseverance set out to break up that hardened ground. That ground was so immovable in certain areas that only a good soaking with water for several days could make it yield.

Do you know that the bible compares our hearts to the ground? Jeremiah 4:3 says, Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! (NLT) and in Hosea 10:12, we see the same admonition. Also Jesus, in Luke 8:15 explains “But that on the good ground are those who in an honest and good heart…”. 

Throughout the bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, the hardened ground is used to symbolize the stubborn resistance of our hearts toward God. And just as the hard upper surface of the ground must be tilled, turned, and broken up to expose soft nutrient-rich soil ready for good use by the gardener, so too must our hard hearts be tilled, turned, and broken up to expose a tender honest heart ready for good use by God. 

You see, our carnal hearts are like that hard dry ground that will not yield. Hearts that have become hardened through our own selfish pride, lack of humility and sin – the natural products of our corrupt hearts. We must allow God to plow up the hard ground of our hearts if we are to be recipients of all the goodness of God. We must allow the Holy Spirit, God’s Living Water, to flow in us, so that we may become malleable – willing to listen to Him, willing to change, and willing to obey Him. The process is painful but necessary and the results beautiful, for we will be like a well-watered garden (see Isaiah 58:11).

Amen†

From the Hardest Places, the most Beautiful Things will Grow Shelley Johnson 08-Jul-2016

Power of the Keys

Let me ask you a question…have you ever been locked out of your own home? You’ve been out, maybe all day with friends, and now you just want to be home because you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, dying to go to the bathroom…so, they pull up to your house, you hop out of the car confident that somebody’s home, after all someone’s always at home, you turn the door knob only to discover that the door is locked…

Perhaps you’ve never had this experience but I have, many years ago…pre-cell phone years ago…friends done drive off because after all someone’s always at home. I called out, silence was the response…I tried the front door, the side door, and the back door, and each one of them was locked. I hadn’t yet qualified to get a key of my own since the belief was, if you have your own key then you’d think that you’re a big woman, so no, no key for you yet. I could do nothing but wait and wait and wait. Believe me when I tell you that it was sheer torture. I was at the mercy of the key holder – the holder of the keys wields power.

Christ said to Peter,

And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; and whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in heaven! (Matthew 16:19 TLB)

When Peter received a revelation of who Jesus was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v. 16), he was given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, like Peter, when you receive a revelation of Jesus Christ you become qualified as a holder of the keys.

The keys of the Kingdom are given to all believers for the display of the power and the glory of God. The possession of the keys symbolizes the authority conferred by God Himself – the Father conferred such authority on Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ conferred the authority first on Peter, then the other apostles and now on every born-again believer. 

Please understand that even though you are free to use the keys, God is the owner of the keys. He has given you the use and stewardship of this amazing authority. 

The Lord will put him in charge of the key that belongs to King David’s family. No one will be able to unlock what he locks, and no one will be able to lock what he unlocks. (Isaiah 22:22 CEV)

The keys are the same, or rather, of the same nature, as the key of David. Jesus is the holder of the key of David.

I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. (Revelation 3:7 CEV)

The authority to open and shut the door into the Church and the Kingdom of God lies with Jesus. As a born-again believer we share this same authority with Jesus Christ (see Revelation 2:26-27). We are to be responsible in how we use this incredible gift, remembering always from whom it was received and the purpose of its use. We are not to be like the Pharisees who, by their example, “shut the Kingdom of Heaven in men’s faces” (see Matthew 23:13). Jesus Himself warns us, “do not do what they do” (v. 3).

Be aware of the power that is embedded in the keys, for therein lies the authority to lock and to open, bind and loose (see Matthew 18:18), and to forgive or not to forgive (John 20:22-23). This is no ordinary stewardship, so please take this most seriously, understanding that what you say is eternal.

Power of the Keys    Shelley Johnson 06-Jul-2016

The O’s Have It!

To me the adjective that best describes all the various and varying attributes of God is “infinite”. 

Here are some other words for infinite that might paint you a better picture:

boundless, immense, endless, limitless, very great, vast, unbounded, unlimited, never-ending, interminable, immeasurable, fathomless, extensive, great, huge, enormous, supreme, absolute, great

Infinite describes God’s own character – it is Who He is. Today I invite you to take a brief look with me at just three specific attributes of God. I say brief since an exhaustive study of a topic such as this is well beyond the scope of this blog. 

• God is infinite in His power, Omnipotent
  
• God is infinite in His being, Omnipresent
  
• God is infinite in His knowledge, Omniscient

Yes, the O’s have it!

OMONIPOTENT is the attribute of God that describes His ability to do whatever He wills. God not only is powerful, but has complete control over His power to do with power all that power can do. The word omnipotent, though not found in the Bible is certainly apparent in the Scriptures.

O Lord God! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power; nothing is too hard for You! 

(Jeremiah 32:17 TLB)

God is a free being who controls all the power that is – He can do all things.

OMNIPRESENT is the attribute of God that describes His ability to be present everywhere at once. He fills the universe in all its parts – the whole of God is present in every place, at the same time, even in every born-again believer through His Holy Spirit. God is in you and all around you. Everything, everywhere, in the universe is immediately in the presence of God. The omnipresence of God is wonderfully brought out by David in Psalm 139.

I can never get away from my God!

(Psalm 139:7 TLB)

God is not an amorphous mass, He is three distinct Persons in One, the Trinity, and where one is all are.

OMNISCIENT is the attribute of God that describes His ability to perfectly and eternally know all things that can be known. He eternally knows what He knows, what He has known, and what He will know. God is not limited by time and space as we know time and space, therefore He is in the past, He is in the present, and He is in the future at once, so that His knowledge is fathomless. The omniscience of God is clearly taught in Scripture.

Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His wisdom and knowledge…! 

(Romans 11:33 TLB)

God does not depend on a process of reasoning, He is all-inclusive knowing the end from the beginning.

God cannot deny Himself and so we ought not to deny Who He is. All-Powerful, Ever-Present, All-Knowing are descriptive of Who God is, therefore these adjectives, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, cannot be separated but must be interwoven if we are to truly grasp and understand the character of our God – infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His power, His being, and His knowledge.

Amen†

The O’s Have It!    Shelley Johnson 05-Jul-2016

The Potter’s Field

“So after consultation they bought with them [the pieces of silver] the potter’s field [as a place] in which to bury strangers.” – Matthew 27:7 (AMP)

When Judas, remorseful, returned the thirty pieces of silver which he’d received for his betrayal of Jesus, to the chief priests, they purchased a potter’s field. Why a potter’s field?

Because those thirty silver coins were now nothing more than the price of blood – formerly offered for the payment of murder, it became blood money not worthy to be placed in the treasury. 

In those days, when clay was extracted from certain fields for the production of pottery, so exhaustive was that extraction that what was left of the field rendered it useful only as a ground for burial. Burial of unknown and indigent people. 

Judas allowed his selfishness, his greed and his utter love of money to betray a man he knew was innocent. The value of his reward for betraying loyalty, friendship, and love was a field of desolation, despair, and death.

The Bible tells us that Judas, in a show of repentance, confessed his sin. But to whom? The answer can be found in Matthew 27:3, 4 (AMP),

“…to the chief priests and the elders. Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself.”

Judas confessed to the chief priests and the elders but they showed him neither mercy nor compassion. They were incapable of doing so for they’d already received from him what they wanted, he was of no use to them now – to them he must have been as good as dead. So they left Judas on his own, unable, because of their own spiritually desolate state of being, to even offer him a single word of encouragement towards genuine repentance. Judas was just like that potter’s field in the eyes of the chief priests and the elders – a desolate, despairing man that was as good as dead to them. Ironically, so were they.

To whom have you been confessing your sins? And in what condition have they left you?

1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins to God because God, Who is faithful and true to His own nature and promises will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Psalm 32:5 (TLB) says,

“until I finally admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, I will confess them to the Lord. And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” 

And Proverbs 28:13 (CEV),

“…God will be merciful if you confess your sins and give them up.”

God’s Word is quite clear, confess your sins to God. God will not point out your sins, He does not condemn you and reject you, He does not treat you as your sin deserves. Instead, God is compassionate, gracious, patient, kind, abounding in love (see Psalm 103), and always ready to forgive (Psalm 86:5). He longs for you to come to Him, to pour out your heart to Him (Isaiah 30:18).

“this is the LORD's declaration-- turn to Me with all your heart” – Joel 2:12 (HCSB)

The potter’s field was Judas’ reward, and a reflection of his state of being; he became united with it (Acts 1:18) but it does not have to be yours. Jesus Christ died so that you don’t have to suffer that fate. He opened the way to God through His blood, the forgiveness of sin (Ephesians 1:7). So, if you are filled with despair, remorse and guilt over sin, know that there’s a way out…

“Tear your hearts…and turn back to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to become angry, overflowing in gracious love, and grieves about this evil.” – Joel 2:13 (ISV)

Amen†

The Potter’s Field    Shelley Johnson 04-Jul-2016

It Rained This Morning

Before I write anything on this subject, allow me to apologize to all the readers of this Blog, Bethel at Balata. First, my little laptop malfunctioned right before my very eyes, and just when, after many attempts at reviving failed, I decided to use my husband’s desktop, internet access ceased. Hence the absence of this Blog for such a long while. So please accept my apologies.

Yesterday was an unbearably and unusually hot day. I must admit that there was some reprieve in a cool breeze that blew intermittently. I prayed for rain, but none came, at least not where I was. The wall of heat persevered causing me to sweat like an estate mule. I remained stoic in my belief that God answers prayer all the while I was stifling in the heat…and, it rained this morning.

I awoke with a start. What was that vaguely familiar sound? Thunder? I got out of bed, the sky was coloured gray, the rain had come where I was and, like the typical West Indian who you invite to your party or even your wedding, she did not come alone, but brought along two others, Thunder and Lightning.

God didn’t only give me what I’d prayed for, He gave me a little extra. Isn’t that how our heavenly Father often operates? He gives us a little more than we’ve asked for. 

“…your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over…” – Proverbs 3:10

So, today, take heart in the fact that, even though you’ve not yet seen the answer to your prayers and the “heat” is just unbearable, the rain is coming. The thunder and the lightning that you’re currently experiencing are simply heralding its approach.

Ask the Lord for rain…it is the Lord Who makes lightnings which usher in the rain and give men showers…– Zechariah 10:1

May God bless you with the blessing of Ephesians 3:20, super-abundantly, far over and above all that you ask or think, infinitely beyond your highest prayers, desires, hopes, or thoughts.

Amen†

It Rained This Morning    Shelley Johnson 04-Jul-2016