Exhortations for The Soul

W e are at the end of another week and aren't we happy for the weekend? I am very glad for the Sabbath Day of rest! Very often we would have worked so hard on the job during the week, or those who are retired still have so much to do, that we are all overjoyed to come to the end of another 6 days. But don't get too happy, before we know it, the cycle starts all over again, once the Lord allows. On the weekend, we generally try to get some rest, along with going to church, don't we? Revival and renewal. So we are welcoming today fresh anointing for revival and renewal. When churches are having evangelistic meetings, some folk look forward to it as an outing, somewhere to go. But I want to submit to us that revival is not just an event or a temporary emotional experience. It is a divine encounter that we have as we earnestly seek the Lord.   And that is why we don't wait for an occasion like this or a church meeting, to get immersed in the Spirit. As children of God we ar...

  “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But 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. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” That’s the Word of the Lord ...

How many of us know that we are all leaders in our own rights? I’ve heard the theory that some people are leaders and some people are followers. While that is true, I think it tends to put people in a box and limit their potential. So I want to suggest to us today that we should all strive to be leaders.   Now, there would be times when we have to be followers, but generally, we should aim to be leaders. Why? Because leadership is about service and we want to be like Jesus who modeled the life of a servant leader while He walked this earth. To be like Jesus is a tall order. But with the Holy Spirit as our Enabler, we can grow closer to Him everyday and at that appointed time enter the kingdom of God. In Matthew 19:26 NKJV, Jesus emphasized “...With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” So we need that fresh anointing to demonstrate that we can be good leaders and servants like Jesus. Jesus demonstrated servant leadership by prioritizing the needs of others...

God created us with a lot of emotions, many of them positive but many of them not necessarily so.   These emotions serve specific purposes, so that we can respond to happenings in the world. Proverbs 22 : 3 NIV confirms this. “The prudent see danger and take refuge...” Fear and anxiety are some of the emotions that we would rather not have on a regular basis. It’s a scary feeling and can negatively impact one's health. Many of us may have heard about what psychologists describe as the brain’s “fight-or-flight” system to protect us from harm.   So while fear can motivate caution and preparation, it can also lead to stress, anxiety, heart disease, hypertension, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, and sleep and mental health disorders. So what we talking about here today is a serious life and death issue for which we need the Holy Spirit's anointing. We spoke yesterday about spiritual warfare and I dare say that fear and anxiety are powerful forces that can work agai...