New Beginnings

Are you truly willing to follow Jesus into the wilderness and allow the Spirit of God to begin your inward transformation? 

In the wilderness, expect to be denied of the usual comforts and pleasures of your life as you journey towards becoming a living sacrifice. But this wilderness is not as barren and as dry as you might think, for even though the fast has begun, it is no ordinary fast, it is a fasting from self (flesh) to feast on the spiritual…

Beloved in this wilderness, you shall be fed from the abundance of God’s own table and drink from the river of His delights (see Psalm 36:7-8).

A new way to be, new life, new beginnings…

“…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17[NLT]

Our Abba, Father, is the God of new beginnings. In His unfailing Love, He gives us new hearts and renews right spirits within us so that we may live life anew.

We go through different experiences along life’s journey and every time we go through the wilderness, we come out all the stronger for it – stronger in faith, stronger in understanding, stronger in wisdom and stronger in character.

We come out not as we went in but spiritually well-fed, transformed and ready for the new thing that God has prepared us for – a new person, a new beginning – for we leave the old behind and enter into a whole new way of being.

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19[NLT]

Let us pray as we begin a new phase of the journey:

Abba, Father, thank You for new beginnings. Thank You for this brand-new phase of my life’s journey. The last one was challenging at times, but I know that You will not give me more than I can endure; I know that all these trials build me up spiritually and I thank You for the plan You have designed for my life. I pray for discipline to remain steadfast in Your plan and the power to get back up if ever I fall. Thank You Abba for being always at my side and for Your Holy Spirit who teaches me how to live my life for You. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “New Beginnings” © 2013 revisited April 10, 2025

A Living Sacrifice

 So then, my brothers, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer. Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God – what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Apostle Paul is telling us that we are to dedicate every iota of our being to God for transformation by allowing Him to completely change our minds. Our minds enable consciousness, thinking, reasoning, emotions, perception and manage our bodies. In other words, our minds are the control centres of our bodies, therefore God wants us to give Him complete control of our lives.

By changing our ways of thinking and perception, God will take us to a deeper level of spiritual consciousness. He will redeem our powers of reasoning and heal every wounded emotion. God wants to transform us into persons worthy of sacrifice – a Living Sacrifice.

To become a living sacrifice, we must be willing to lay down our lives. This, for many, is a frightening prospect but remember, what we are willing to give to God we get to keep.

For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)

Our self sacrifice to God is a spiritual process which lasts a life time and carries great reward.

Be willing to give your life over to God. Today, make the decision to follow Jesus into the wilderness and allow the Spirit of God to begin your inward transformation.

In the wilderness, expect to be denied of the usual comforts and pleasures of your life – your fast has only just begun.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “A Living Sacrifice” © 2013 revisited April 9, 2025

The Sacrifice of the Heart

Every single person that was ever born was born into sin, so we naturally gravitate towards sin. Think about it for a moment; children, toddlers, lie. No one taught them to lie but they do. Those cute little sweethearts will tell a lie with a straight face. Children are selfish, they hate sharing and must be taught to share. Children are stubborn and self-willed wanting to have their own way and refusing to do what they’re being told. (Not these little ones pictured of course)

All these behaviours are inherent, they simply show up. Why is that?

“I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5 TLB)

We are born with those sinful-nature-seeds; proof of the corruption of man’s heart after the fall of Adam.

Jeremiah 17:9 (AMPC) describes the heart of man like this…

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick!”

Ohhh! What a description. No wonder David had to ask God to “Create a clean heart for me, God; put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!” (Psalm 51:10 CEB)

Jeremiah and David are not speaking of our physical hearts, these verses are referring to our cores – the seat of our thoughts and intentions, our emotions and motives, our actions and morality.

So, how do we clean our hearts? WE cannot…like David we must go to our manufacturer, the One who created us. We have to sacrifice our hearts to God who has the ability to create our hearts – the well springs of our lives – anew. Our hearts are brought under subjection to God through repentance, a thorough change of heart concerning sin.

Like the prodigal son, we must come to our senses, recognizing that we have been wasting our lives, misusing our gifts and talents, and just dishonouring the Sacrifice of God through all of it. In addition to that, we must realize that our only hope is to “go home” to our Father saying, with sincere remorse and willingness to change, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you” (Luke 17:18 NLT)

I can hear some of you protesting, “But Jesus already paid the price for my sins; why do I have to repent?” Because Jesus’ sacrifice is not an excuse for you to continue in sin but to discontinue living the life of sin you inherited. Repentance, therefore, is a necessary step in that direction. Repentance toward God, is a precursor to a personal relationship with Jesus, our sin-bearer, while, at the same time, our fellowship, belief, trust and faith in Jesus provokes repentance.

As it is written,

“…God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.” (1 John 1:5-10 TLB)

The sacrifice of the heart begins with the confession of sin. So, loosen your tongue, hold nothing back, be honest about the condition of your inner self and pour out your heart to God…

Beloved, your “[only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent]” (Psalm 51:17 AMP)

And after you’ve surrendered your heart, the inward being, to God, it is imperative that you be diligent in protecting your recreated core from re-defilement.

Solomon, in Proverbs 4:23 says,

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (NLT)

The sacrifice of the heart is truly life changing. The course of your life is redirected from the broad road that leads to destruction, to the narrow road that leads to life…be one of the few that find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “The Sacrifice of the Heart“ © April 7, 2025

 

Streams of Living Water

It was the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, where the water libation ritual was practiced year after year. Water would be drawn from the pool at Siloam. This water, originating from a spring, could not be stagnant, it had to be fresh and able to give life – it was running or living water.

Three Pools at Maracas Valley Waterfall Trinidad

John 7:37-39, as it is written,

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whosoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.”

Jesus is speaking here of a spiritual thirst, not a physical thirst. He is telling us that “whosoever” you may be, once you believe in Him you will receive, coming from inside of you, streams of water that are alive and “do not fail” (Isaiah 58:11). As the above passage tells us, Jesus is in fact referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the “living water” that never runs dry.

It is not insignificant that it was at this very important Feast that Jesus chose to declare that He was the true water, the true giver of life through whom the Spirit is given – only through Him can you receive lasting salvation and truly experience the reality of Life.

As streams of natural living water transforms dry, barren places, so Spirit, the true Living Water, will transform the dryness and barrenness of your spiritual life. Just like the woman at the well in John 4:13-14, you too will never again be thirsty.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (ESV)

To feel a personal connection to Jesus, the Lord of your salvation, you need to connect to His Spirit, Who animates the true meaning of life.

“whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.’” – John 7:38 (GNT)

It is Spirit flowing through you, an outflow from your innermost being, after you have yielded yourself to Him. However, this is not just for your benefit, for as this Spiritual stream gushes forth from deep within you, you are to share this eternal life water with others, so that they too may experience the touch of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. And as their lives are touched by Spirit’s refreshing water that feeds the soul, they too will be drawn to Jesus.

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Streams of Living Water” © 2012 revisited April 7, 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

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

 

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

Are you willing to give all?

“As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. I tell you the truth, He said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she in her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4 (NIV)

This poor widow put in the best that she had to offer. The two coins that she put into the temple treasury were worth far more to her than the gifts to the rich. Both were giving, but while the rich gave a percentage from their surplus, the widow gave it all – she actually gave 100%: her coins and herself.

She was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, for she “put in all she had to live on”.

The gifts of the rich did not amount to a real sacrifice, it did not hurt. They may have been giving for purely selfish reasons. The widow’s coins, on the other hand, were of more value since it is the cost to the giver that counts.

God saw that the widow’s heart was in the right place. He saw that her intentions were sincere. Her offering, coming from a spirit of humility, love and selflessness made her sacrifice invaluable.

Are you willing to give all?

To sacrifice all that you have and are to Christ? You must be prepared to give up everything to God if He asks. Jesus gave up His life for us because that is what God desired. Jesus prayed, “…yet not My will but Yours” (Luke 22:42).

Like the poor widow, Christ Jesus gave everything He had to live on at the cross. He left the glory of heaven, humbled Himself and laid down His life for a greater cause...

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

Jesus, innocent, died like a criminal for you and for me, paying a hefty price for our sins. Jesus was willing to give all...

Are you willing to give all?

Are you willing to give up your comforts and your pleasures and put all you have at the Lord’s disposal?

Are you willing to humble yourself in obedience to God?

Are you willing to give all?

Are you willing, like the poor widow, to sacrifice everything you have, no matter how insignificant your offering may seem?

Beloved, understand that God will give your gift worth. He will do whatever He desires with it and with you. Remember, your sacrifice is giving back to God what He has already given to you and God gives without measure.

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Are you willing to give all?” © 2013 revisited March 30, 2025 

The Faith to Endure the Cross

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” Hebrews 12:2 (BSB)

Jesus demonstrated to us how to walk in faith and His actions and obedience to faith have perfected our faith. Studying Jesus’ behaviour leading up to His crucifixion reveals to us the faith that God requires of His children.

Faith trusts God even in the face of death (see Daniel 3:10-26). We are to trust God completely in all circumstances, standing firm in faith.

Jesus Christ had perfect faith, and it is in His faith that our faith is made complete. Our hearing the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ produces faith in us that gives us direct access to God’s limitless provision.

Jesus, through His faith, pleased God because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). God said about His Son, “This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). God is willing to say the same of us if we would place complete faith in Him and act upon that faith.

Jesus’ faith in God’s will, was greater than His desire to not endure the agony of the cross (see Matthew 26:36-46). Jesus understood that God’s plan was much bigger than what was immediately before Him. We too must understand that God’s plan for our lives is much bigger than what we are able to see. We are to continue in faith despite the trials and challenges that we may be facing.

Be encouraged and know that God has not left you but is with you all the way. Jesus was confident in God’s ability to strengthen Him during this time of extreme agony, and He had faith that God would.

Jesus had the faith to endure the cross because He knew that, God being faithful to His promise, the results of His sacrifice would be eternal.

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “The Faith to endure the Cross” © 2013 revisited March 29, 2025

"If" and "Then", plus "Now"

"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (NKJV)

In this season of reflection, these words, which God spoke to Solomon, could teach us all a very valuable lesson. When we read the Word we do not realize that God’s response to us, for the most part, is conditional.

Throughout Scripture we come across those verses that tell us that if we do, God will act. For example, Jesus lets us know in John 15:7 that “if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon” (MSG) – that’s conditional.

Here’s a hint: whenever you see the words “if” and “then”, you can be sure that it’s letting you know that, if you do this then God will do that. Such sentences or statements are contingent on the choices you make and express certainty of God’s response to your choices.

So let us look at what God told Solomon and is telling us via 2 Chronicles 7:14-16…

Your Part:

Humble yourself – you have to get to a place of humility, like the woman with the issue of blood (see Luke 8:43-48) or the Prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-24), where you come to your senses, from deep within you, and you get low before the Lord, it is an act of desperation where you throw off any shame or inhibitions and come to Him just as you are…naked, exposed, bleeding, dirty.

Pray – pour out your heart before the Lord, sincere and genuine, a repentant cry (see Acts 3:19)

Seek God’s face – search for His face and not His hand; you’re not looking for what God can give you, His presents, but rather you’re looking for His presence – an intimate connection, revelation and knowledge of who God is; to encounter His manifest presence in your life.

Turn from your wicked ways – speaks of repentance, going in the opposite direction to the ways of the world (sin) towards the spiritual and godly; a turning away from self to God; from the evil intent devised in your heart (see Jeremiah 17:9)

God’s Part:

God will hear from heaven – His dwelling place, throne-room, realm of grace, the spiritual realm (see 1 Kings 8:30)

God will forgive your sin – 1 John 1:9 (NLT) "if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

God will heal your land – He will bring restoration, and renewal, not just to your physical land but more importantly to what land symbolizes: your heart, your godly inheritance and everything concerning you.

Then there’s the extra...

Beloved, when you do your part, God doesn’t just do His part as promised, He always gives you a little something more – that’s where “Now” comes in.

The Plus Now:

God’s eyes will be opened – He is keeping watch over you

God’s ears will be attentive to your prayers – He’s always going to listen to your prayers especially

God places you on the list of the chosen and sanctification takes place

God will continuously be looking out for you, He’ll place His seal on you and His ceaseless love will be tangible in your life.

It is your willingness to obey that brings these rewards and, not only in heaven, but “now in this time” – “Now” rewards.

Look at what happened to Job when he finally understood what God was showing him and did what he needed to do, “God restored his fortune—and then doubled it!” (Job 42:10 MSG)

And, see what Jesus tells us will happen when we let go of certain things for God’s sake, “They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times” (see Mark 10:29-30).

So, do not be reluctant to do your part, even when it makes no sense, because everything God tells you to do is always for your best and born out of His great love for you.

Know that if you fulfill your part, then you can be certain that God will fulfill His part and after that even more.

 Amen†

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson "If" and "Then", plus "Now" © 2017 revisited March 28, 2025

 

Our Betrayal

We look upon Judas Iscariot and his awful act of betrayal, with disdain, and rightly so; but how many times have we ourselves allowed our fleshly weaknesses and worldly desires to take precedence over the good we ought to do?

How many times, out of convenience, have we laid aside the things of God to indulge in our own plans because it seemed easier?

How many times have we turned away from Jesus’ teachings to satisfy our own cravings?

How many times have we offered to kiss one in order to acquire favour or rob the promotion due another?

During this Lenten Season, as you gaze upon the cross of Christ’s crucifixion, seek a deeper revelation of His incredible sacrifice, take an honest look inwardly and ask yourself:

How many times have I participated in an act of betrayal of Jesus Christ by giving the devil access through…

...my selfish motives; my love of money and other earthly treasures; my lust; my avarice and greed; my envy and jealousy; my arrogance; my self-righteous attitude; my bitterness and resentment; my pride; my apathy; my insincerity; my don’t care behaviour; my spiritual disillusionment; my prayer-less existence; my carnal thoughts and ideas; my baseless words, filthy speech and lies; my drunkenness; my cultivating a wrong view of God by rejecting His Word; my disbelief; devising wickedness in my heart; causing mischief, sowing discord and stirring up strife; my disobedience to Jesus’ instructions…?

And the list goes on and on and we do not even realize that we are giving the devil access to use us and every time we give the devil access, we send Jesus to the cross all over again.

When we have not stayed true to our commitment to Jesus Christ, when we have allowed the things of this world to overshadow and outweigh the things of God, we betray Jesus.

But there is good news in the Cross, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection through which all our sins have been forgiven forever!

From today, let us re-commit ourselves to Him by, once again, confessing with our lips that Jesus is Lord and re-kindling belief in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.

 Amen †

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Our Betrayal” © 2014 revisited March 26, 2025

Let us Repent of...Pride

Pride…let’s spell it out letter by letter…all upper case…P R I D E

Every one of us is infected by this soul-poisoning organism that creeps, undetected, into our hearts, surreptitiously spawning destruction.

Scripture is impregnated with verse after verse that warns of the dangers of pride. It was Lucifer’s pride coupled with envy that caused his downfall. His prideful attempt to elevate himself to God’s position so failed that he fell, has fallen, is falling and will fall.

And, like Lucifer, we all have that tendency toward a high opinion of ourselves, but Paul tells us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we should (see Romans 12:3). Paul speaks from firsthand experience, as before his conversion from being Saul, he believed that his self-styled ministry of persecution, born out of pharisaic beliefs, was acting in the will and purpose of God.

Saul, like any other Pharisee, was ignited and driven by spiritual pride. He thought that he was doing God a favour in his doomed ambition to destroy the church and the followers of Christ. The Lord striking him down and causing him to wander in darkness for three days, marked the death of pride in him.

We must be willing to experience the death of our personal puffed-up ambitions which are rooted in pride.

Pride is carnal baggage – a heavy load which we need to discard. If we insist on holding onto it, we will eventually sink from its weight. Pride always comes before a fall; we can count on that.

I like this to-the-point translation,

“First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 MSG)

We will crash.

It is quite unfortunate that our churches are filled with big-ego Christians who, tainted with self-righteousness and religious conceit, preach down to their fellow congregants, belittling their personhood and their intellect.

Those Christians whose evangelism is smeared with scorn and reproach. Those Christians who do not even realize that their message, though biblically sound, is rendered powerless in the face of their prideful approach. They awaken no one to the need for Christ in their haughtiness. Trying to assume the role of the Holy Spirit, their attempt at conviction comes across as condemnation because that is not their job (see John 16:8). All that does is make others feel that they are unworthy of God’s love and certainly not worthy of inclusion into the Body of Christ.

Too many pride-filled Christians jump onto the evangelism bus carrying their self-confident notions in hand without ever seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Before any of us attempt to evangelize anyone, we need to honestly evaluate our feelings, our beliefs and our motives and pray; pray that God will reveal the real us; pray that any scales of conceit will fall from our eyes.

You do not truly know yourself when you fail to recognize that you are full of yourself. Those scales need to go!

Pride, accompanied by its twin, arrogance, distorts our perspective. We must take a deep look at ourselves in the blazing light of the Spirit that shines on our sinfulness. And when the sin of pride comes into view, we must allow Spirit to uproot it and thoroughly discard it – there can be no holding onto a piece for replanting; no small seed kept for germinating – throw it off completely.

“…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:6-8 (AMP)

Ignorance leaves us defenceless to the deceitfulness of pride. The pride-filled never recognize themselves as such and have a serious problem with ownership – they are incapable of taking ownership of their behaviour and do not feel the need for self-examination and evaluation.  

One lady, a former colleague, in the midst of telling stories of her family vacations and their other “achievements” would slip in, “As you know, we are very humble people”

The mere fact that she felt the need to say that reeked of pride.

When called to give testimonies, a prominent church elder, first at the podium, would offer a testimony where the object of his testimony was him, never God – not Father, not Son, not Holy Spirit, just him. He too describes himself as a humble servant.

Pride can be so subtle.

God has filled His Word with warnings about pride because He knows the destruction that pride causes. He knows that the devil is keenly aware of that as well. God truly cares about us and wants to keep us safe from the evil one (see 2 Peter 3:9).

Beloved, we, young, old and everyone in-between, have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). Our aim is to understand that Jesus, in His magnificent love, took our sin on Himself, “once for all” – He endured the punishment we deserve.

Pride is sin, and God placed the penalty for the sin of pride on His beloved Son instead of you and me, let us not invalidate Christ’s punishment.

Let us remember God’s love, mercy and kindness to us which ought to lead us toward repentance (see Romans 2:4). Let us turn to the cross and turn away from the sin of pride, forsaking our way of thinking in exchange for the mind of Christ, to become God’s ambassadors of kindness, love, compassion and humility.

Beloved, to find greatness in God’s Kingdom we must be servants to the people of this world. 

Let’s go and sin no more (see John 8:11).

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Pride” © March 25, 2025

Let us Repent of…Gluttony

In the not-too-distant past, I attended a lovely wedding, every part of that celebration was well thought out and planned; the bride was on time (imagine that) and the ceremony ran like clockwork. From the moment the guests entered the reception venue decadent morsels were served in quantity. No-one was left hungry while awaiting the arrival of the newly married couple. The caterer was to be commended on the most sumptuous meal.

I ate all that I could to the point of not having enough room in my stomach for the main course, but I made room the moment I laid eyes on the buffet fare, as that too was much too fine to not partake. I, now blimp-like, knew that I had had much more than I needed. I had purposely engaged in an unhealthy overindulgence of food.

There’s an affliction that has infected many people – it’s an excessive appetite for the things of the world. John warned us of this…

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” – 1 John 2:15-16 (NASB) 

Feeding excessively on things of this world cause us to miss out on heavenly things.

We are living in a hungry time, where enough is never enough, we could always do with a little more and for some, much much more. This is gluttony.

Gluttony is that sin which is usually associated with food but it is not just about overeating, as I did at that wedding, it has to do with an obsessive love of any materialistic pleasure or delight.

King Solomon said this concerning gluttony,

“When you sit down to eat with someone important, keep in mind who he is. If you have a big appetite, restrain yourself. Don't be greedy for the fine food he serves; he may be trying to trick you.” – Proverbs 23:1-3 (GNT)

This man of great God-given wisdom is telling us that our gluttonous behaviour can make us an easy target for other gluttons to fleece us and feed upon us to indulge their own greedy nature. Gluttony has made thieves of many.

Roman Catholic theology lists gluttony as a venial sin, an unintentional or lesser sin that leads to more grievous sin. In other words, sin leads to more sin. (see James 1:14-15)

Gluttony is consumed with the flesh and therein lies the danger to your spiritual journey. This overconsumption of the material will only leave you spiritually ruined as it stands contrary to the will of God.

Gluttons “are really enemies of the cross of Christ” (verse 18) since they do not “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (see Matthew 5:6), instead they elevate their desire above God; their desire is their god.

 If you are gorging yourself on worldly delights, then you cannot, at the same time, hunger after Jesus. The two are polar opposites. You cannot conform and be transformed at once; you must give up one for the other. Which one? You have the freedom to choose, so you decide.

But before you do, listen, the sin is not in the having, for Jesus Himself tells us,

“…your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” – Matthew 6:32-33 (AMP)

The sin is in the loving; it is in the loss of control to the desires of the body; it’s in the letting the flesh dictate and ignoring the guidance of the Spirit. Know that this sin of gluttony leads to destruction.

“They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.” – Philippians 3:19 (NLT)

What shall your destiny be? Will you change direction or stay on the path to destruction?

The good news is that there is a cure for gluttony, it is in the cup of repentance – a tonic that promotes a holy appetite.

Beloved, I shall leave you to chew on this from the Book of Wisdom,

“Have two goals: wisdom—that is, knowing and doing right—and common sense. Don’t let them slip away, for they fill you with living energy and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe from defeat and disaster and from stumbling off the trail.” – Proverbs 3:21-23 (TLB)

Amen †

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of…Gluttony” © March 24, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let us Repent of...Gossip

What types of conversations are you having? Why make conversation if you have nothing of value to say? Are the conversations you engage in legitimate or are they contrived inventions to create mischief? What have you been listening to?

Are you a gossiper or gossipee – the transmitter or the receiver? Either way is sinful. But don’t take my word for it, take the Word in Romans 1:29 where it is described as such,

“Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.” (NLT)

I recently read a quote from a rabbi about gossip,

“To which is gossip more similar, robbery or murder? Murder, because robbers can always give back what they’ve stolen, but gossips can never repair the damage they’ve done.”

Understand that gossip, even in small doses, can ruin lives in unimaginable ways, yours and others. Even if you are not the one talking but listening, it’s like stepping into a briar patch, you are bound to get scratched. If the gossip is telling you about someone you can be sure that you will also be their topic of gossip to someone else. Proverbs 20:19 could not be clearer, “do not associate with a gossip”.

It is quite a temptation to engage in some juicy gossip, but we need to resist temptation. Don’t we pray, “don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from evil”? Resisting the temptation of gossip is to resist the devil who plants seeds of discord.

We must close our ears to those whose mission is to gossip, refuse to entertain them, refuse to engage with them. We need to let them know that we will not listen to anything that they have to say and send them on their way.

The Word tells us that we are to provoke each other to love (Hebrews 10:24) not to humiliation, shame, distrust or anger. Paul exhorts us to be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

Some people are like vultures, preying on others as if it is their vocation. Pray and not prey. We know ourselves. If you are the gossip, pray instead of prey. Pray that God will put out the fire of contention that rages in your heart and stoke the fire of compassion towards others instead.

This world is full of gossips, persons who love to cause strife and sadly they are sitting in the pews. Church attendees who have mastered the art of “shoo-shooing”. Whispering into the ears of other pew fillers who enjoy the idle chatter. Solomon, in his book of Wisdom, describes it as a perversion.

“A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.” – Proverbs 16:28 (NKJV)

These misinformed news carriers, it would seem, have skipped over Romans 12:2 like a professional hurdler,

“Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

Gossiping is a hindrance to your spiritual walk. It sews discord among the brethren (Proverbs 6:19). The Lord will not inhabit a heart that is full of slander and strife with His Presence.

Beloved, we have been commissioned to spread the Gospel, good news, not gossip, bad news so, let us repent of gossip, turn away from this awful malaise and follow a new course.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Let us Repent of...Gossip“ © March 23, 2025