Standing Firm On The Promises Of God

by Odette | Feb 1, 2022 | Blog Post, God's Love

STANDING FIRM ON THE PROMISES OF GOD

Standing firm on the promises of God can at times be very hard to do especially in the society that we currently live in. At times, we may wait for years before we can see the promises of the Lord actually come through. When we read in the Old Testament, we read about Abraham whom the Lord had promised a son. In Genesis 12:1-4, when Abraham was 75 years old, the Lord promised him a son.

Some may think that this is impossible but with God, all things are possible. However, during the years, Sarah grew impatient and told Abraham to go into her servant Hagar, Genesis 16. At the age of 86, Abraham’s son, Ishmael, was born through Hagar. This, however, was not the promised son. For this promise to fully come through, Abraham had to wait another 14 years. Abraham trusted God despite how old he was. He knew that God's word is truth.

Due to her impatience, after Ishmael was born, Sarah started to develop a not so liking of Hagar anymore. This must have cause some tension in the household of Abraham.

Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart

After the promise child, Isaac, was finally born, tension was more evident in the household of Abraham.

Genesis 21: 8 - 13 reads as follows:

The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. ¹²But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[a] will be reckoned. ¹³I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Although it saddened Abraham to sent Ishamel away, the Lord told Abrham not to worry but to do as Sarah told me. He willing did not question it but obeyed.

It can be said that because Abraham had a relationship with the Lord, he knew that God's word is truth.

If we are being honest with ourselves, we probably would not even want to listen much less to comply because we would be stressed.

Could it be that was would not obey because we do not trust in the Lord even though we have seen and experienced His faithfullness in the past.

HE IS NEVER CHANGING

The Lord is never changing because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore because of this, we can always depend on Him and stand firm on the promises of God because He is not a man that is made of flesh and blood and He cannot lie. When we look at Noah, after the flood, the rainbow was placed in the sky as a covenant to Noah. We all know the story where the Lord promised Noah that He would not destroy the earth by flood again.

Scripture tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7. We are also told that without faith it is impossible to please God. Despite how long it is taking for God's promises to come through, we must at all times remain steadfast and have no doubts. Be diligent and stand firm on the promises of God although it can at times be difficult to hold on?

I am not going to tell you that it is easy. At times, I find myself doubting the Lord but despite the doubts from the enemy, we have to push all doubts and fear aside and hold us because God's word is truth.

Although this may not work for you but I find that in the season of waiting, I pressing in more. I draw closer to the Lord by getting more into His Word, speaking to Him more, just soaking up His presence more and more. Does this helps during the waiting process, yes it does but that does not mean the enemy will not come in to try and cast doubt but you just have to just hold on.

The scripture tells us that when we have the spirit of heaviness, we are to put on the garment of praise (Isaiah 63:1).

Put On The Armour of God

In Ephesians 6:11 we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to put on the armor of God and one of them the shield of faith. With this shield of faith, we can rest assured that no matter what the enemy is throwing at us, we know that the Lord will keep all His promises and because He is a promise keeper, we can stand firm on the promises of God . Throughout the Bible we read that God is faithful and God’s Word is truth.

When you are able to trust in the Lord with all your heart, even when all hope seems lost, you will not be overtaken but you will overcome.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

At times we may find it difficult to trust in what the Lord has told us. While we may not be able to see the end, we must not forget that He is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows the end even before it happens. I can attest to this when it comes to trusting.

Sometime last year (2021) I started a business printing t-shirts and all things that are based on the goodness of Christ Jesus. I was so scared to step out because so many negative thoughts kept coming in my head. But despite what my mind was telling me, I kept pressing on and stood firm on the Lord’s promises. I went from not having a clue with regards to creating t-shirts, to now creating hoodies, stickers and bookmarks, notebooks, just to name a few.

I am still scared, of course I am but instead of trusting in my own abilities, I stand on Jeremiah 29:11, where He tells me that He knows the plans He has for me. I also stand on Philippians 4:13 where He tells me that I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Instead of trusting in my own strength, I have come to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead me.

I am not going to say that everyday is cloud nine so to speak, but instead of giving up and throwing in the towel, I keep putting one foot forward. I keep showing up for work even when I do not feel like doing it. I do this because I know that God's Word is truth.

Do I know what is going to happen with this business? Of course not but there are so many bible verses that confirm the promises of the Lord and each time the enemy wants to plant the seed of doubt, I am gently reminded by the Holy Spirit about the many promises.

We do not know what the future brings but with God on our side, we can rest assured that it is going to be great. This is why it is so important that you trust in the Lord with all your heart and in doing so, He will direct your path.

Final Thoughts

Our God is faithful to us and we are told that if we confess with our mouth, He will forgive us our sins and because of this, we can stand firm on the promises of God. It does not matter what sin we have committed, He will forgive us when we repent. Does this mean that if we comint a crime, we will get away? No, no, He is a just God and because of this whatever, sin we have commited, any consequences from this sin, we will have to pay. It is at this time,, we will realise that He is there beside us comforting us while we "pay the time" so to speak.

The Lord your God is faithful and wants us all to have eternal life, this is why when He made the promise in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:15, the promised Messiah was foretold to come. This is another evidence that shows that God's Word is truth. Whatever He says, it will come to pass.

When life is throwing the kitchen sink and everything in it at you, stand firm on the promises of God as well as your faith knowing that you serve a faithful Father who takes full responsibility for you and wants only the best for you.

Feeling afraid, do not be discouraged because the Lord Jesus is able.

Thank you very much for taking the time out the read this blog posts, and I hope that you are encouraged. If the Lord has promised you something, hold unto it because He is faithful and He will come through and remember, no matter what, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Taking A Leap of Faith With God

by Odette | Aug 18, 2021 | Taking A Leap of Faith, Blog Post

Taking A Leap of Faith With God

Faith

Taking a leap of faith with God and trust in God's perfect timing and what the Lord tells us to do can be very nerve wracking. Believe it or not, it can be one of the most difficult decisions that we make. The enemy of us, will whisper the complete opposite.

What exactly is faith? The Scripture tells us in Hebrews 11 vs 1, that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When I first read this, I was like “What?” “Huh?”, the evidence of things not seen. I didn’t fully understand this until I started to read more of the Word of God and meditated on what it truly means.

By having faith, we are telling the Lord Jesus that we are holding on to what He tells us despite what our mind is saying and how we are feeling. We are also telling Him that we trust in God's timing for our lives. We are also showing the Lord that come what may, we are trusting Him and believing in His Word.

Throughout the Bible, we read on so many different persons who trusted the Lord despite all odds.

Abraham

In Genesis 12:1, the Lord told Abram to leave his country and his family. The Lord told him to go to a land that was complete foreign to him. Instead of questioning what the Lord was saying he obeyed.

If we are being honest with ourselves, myself included, we would be like, “no way, how am I going to survive, I can’t just get up and leave my home, how dangerous is this place.? But despite all the questions that may have been going around in Abraham’s mind, he faithfully and willingly obeyed.

Because of his obedience, he was deemed righteous in the eyes of God, Romans 4:3.

At the age of 75, the Lord told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and that he will have a son. This promise this not come through until some 25 years later. This was when Abraham turned 100 years old as can be read in Genesis 17.

Abraham was patient and waited for 25 years. Thinking about this, some of us find it difficult to wait 1 year much less 25 years.

This is why when the Lord promises us something, we have to hold unto it because He tells us that His Word will not come back to Him void. Therefore once spoken, God’s Word has to be fulfilled.

Noah

In Genesis 6:9, we are introduced to Noah, whom along with his family loved the Lord. Despite all the wickedness around them, they served the Lord.

The Lord told Noah that he was going to destroy the earth. Noah was given specific instructions to make an ark. Believing in what the Lord told him, Noah obeyed as was can see in Genesis 6:22.

Can you imagine the laughter and ridicule that probably was hurled at Noah and his family for building this obviously huge ark. Despite all this, Noah maintained his faith and trusted in the Lord.

In the end, we all know what happened to all those who were left outside the ark.

Joshua and Caleb

These two deserve a honorary mention because they believed in the Lord when all the others didn’t.

In the book of Joshua, when the children of Israel were about to enter the promise land, twelve spies including Joshua and Caleb, were sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. Ten came back in fear. Instead of looking at how mighty their God is, they looked at the fact that the people in that land were giants.

It was only Joshua and Caleb who believed in the God of Israel. Because of their doubt, the older ones where not allowed to cross. Only Joshua and Caleb from that era, were permitted to cross with their family. All the others, died out and the younger generation were allowed to enter the promise land. This is what one would call, so near and yet so far.

Another test of faith for Joshua was the walls of Jericho. The Lord instructed Joshua who became the children of Israels leader to march around the walls of Jericho for 7 days. Specific instructions were given for which Joshua obeyed.

The citizens of Jericho must have thought that the Israelites were completely crazy by marching around the wall for days in complete silence. But with the mighty hand of God, the walls came crumbling down at the shout and Joshua commanded the sun to keep still. What mighty works we can do when we are obedient to the Lord.

For every problem there is always a solution

Job

Despite losing his children, his livestock and his entire body covered in soars, he did not turn his back on the Lord. His own wife told him to curse God but did he listened, of course not. Job said “though He may slay me, I will trust Him”.

In the end, because of his faithfulness, God bless Job and multiplied what he had lost.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, we can read about so many other people who had such faith in God that no matter what others say, they held firm and were not shaken.

We are told in the scripture to trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

There are times when we know within our hearts what the Lord has instructed us to do and because of fear of what others will say or we think it will not work, we back down. There maybe times as well when we know what God has told us to do but we cannot understand the outcome. Do not rush the process but instead trust in God's timing for any plan He has for you.

The enemy comes to only rob, steal, kill and destroyInstead of listening to what the enemy is telling us, why not block out the negativity and listen to that small still voice that is gently encouraging us to take the leap, to go into deep water, to be like a child and step out in faith.

Let us stop listening to the lies of the enemy because we all know that all he does is to rob, steal, kill and destroy. Let us put our faith and trust in our heavenly Father who tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He knows the plans He has for us. Let us continue to pray to the Lord and have faith knowing that He will answer us.

Marriage The Biblical Way Set By God

by Odette | Jul 26, 2021 | Marriage, Blog Post

Marriage - The Biblical Way

What is marriage?

Marriage the Biblical way set by God, is an institution which God designed and instituted to extend His kingdom. By telling Abraham that his descendants will be like the stars.

Family system was created to reproduce and to multiply. When a man marries, he has to leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh as in Genesis 2:24.

Adam and Eve were the first marriage. God stated that it was not good for man to be alone and this is why he created a woman as a partner as in Genesis 2:18.

God needed a caretaker to take care of His creation on earth (Adam).

We are set apart because of God’s love for his pleasure. He was pleased after He created Eve.

Throughout the Bible, Christ and the church are is a covenant marriage.

Why is it so important to the Lord?

This is important to the Lord for union and the repopulation of the earth. We all have to aline with the plan of the Lord.

God wants the Earth to be populated and this only way this can be done is through the union of a man and a woman.

The only sexual union that is acceptable to the Lord is between a man and a woman who are married.

Throughout the Bible, we see that marriage was the most common union and this is because marriage is a covenant between a male and female. This is also a covenant relationship that is set by the Lord.

In Proverbs 18:22, we are told that "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord."

Who opposes marriage and why?

Satan is the main opposer to marriages. He is not happy for man coming and taking dominion over the earth. Love not tested is not love, obedience not tested love, faith not tested in not love.

Prior to the creation of man, the angels of the Lord has free reign on this earth, however, when God created man, all this changed, which caused the enemy to become exceedingly angry. It can be argued that the enemy is completely and totally jealous of us humans. (Genesis when God told Adam to have dominion over the earth).

The Holy One of Israel who is the Lord God Almighty, loves marriages and the enemy hates everything that the Lord loves. There is always a constant battle going on.

Whether or not we believe or want to accept it, we are in the middle of a war and we have to stand and fight for the things of God.

How to deal with conflict in marriages?

Physical Aspects

Marriage is for grown up and not for boys and girls. Don't misinterpret what I am say. In order to maintain a successful mattress, there has to be some level of maturity in both individuals.

We need to know the main purpose of marriage before we decide to get married.There are some who marry young and still manage to stay together for a long time.

People will look at marriages in different ways. Some may see it as a opportunity to find true love, some may think that marriage is their only way of escapimg poverty. However, not understanding what marriage is really all about can bring conflict.

Patience is needed in marriage, wisdom, love (wrong motives in marriage will not last). i.e. money, looks, job, etc. when all these dry up then the cracks will start to show.

Wrong motives.

Wrong character traits - people who have their own weakness, which can also bring conflicts in marriage. Due to the social up bringing and how people are brought up.

Spiritual Aspects

Some may not believe in the spiritual realm. There are spiritual entity that can cause man to act in a manner that at times they cannot understand.

It is the spiritual that supersedes the physical world.

For example if someone has excessive anger, this can be controlled by spiritual.

It is often difficult for someone to admit that they have a problem, however, once this problem is addressed, you will be surprised how wonderful the marriage will be.

As stated above, most issues in marriages are caused by spiritual intervention working behind the scene to break up marriages.

Let's make the impossible and conflict in marriages become possible again. Let us stand and fight for our marriages.

WILL THE LORD ACCEPT SOMEONE WHO IS DIVORCED?

Although the Lord does not like divorce, there is instance when He will allow it. If we don’t understand what marriage is about then we will abuse it. One can say that God winks at the time of our ignorance. God is a God of second chances and when we understand, He will judge us.

Because of pure love towards us, when we make a mistake, He will not hold it towards us. This does not mean that we must abuse the love that God has for us. Any sin that we deliberately do, He is hold it against us.

What will overcome is His strength - He will give us the wisdom, understanding and strength and knowledge to go forward in any subsequent marriages.

For someone who is born again and choosing to divorce, it can be argued that they do not have spiritual incite. By not reading the Bible and absorbing the Word this will cause a Christian to be defeated in matters relating to spirituality.

To resist we need the Word of God (James 4:7). By re-inforcing ourselves in the Word of God, it will renew our thinking. Whilst at times we may be under attack mentally, if we keep resisting the voice of the enemy, then he will flee.

Anything that is coming into the mind that is going contrary to the Word of God, is the enemy. This is why we need to feed ourselves constantly with the word.

If there is any spirit in the person, this needs to be cast out of the person (deliverance). There are demonic entities that fight both marriages and individuals. When we are not in the Lord they have the power but when we come to the Lord, He takes over.

How can we enjoy your
marriage?

Although we will have problems, the main thing is how to overcome these problems. Don’t let the sun goes down on our wrath. One person has to be the bigger person, put down pride. We need to turn to the word of God and be in tune.

Unsaved persons

For those who do not know the Lord, God instrituted marriage which is the foundation. Jesus is the way and you should turn to Jesus who is the word. He will help you to overcome whatever problems you may be facing.

Do not leave sorting out the problem to your own understanding nor looking to another human (parents, friends, psychologist). You have to go to the manufacturer, which is God. Take the manual (Bible) because it is God who instituted marriage and He is the only one who can help us to know and understand what marriage is about.

Christians

Turn to the bible and take it as it is - do not lean on your own understanding.

If you need deliverance, go for this. Do not look at one side and point fingers but accept that you too may be at fault.

Spiritual

One of the things that brings conflict is spiritual husbands and wives. Have sex in dreams is not normal, although some may think it is. Masterbation is also not normal. Seek a minister who understands these things in order to obtain the help that is needed.

Domestic Violence – Walking Away From It All

by Odette | Mar 23, 2021 | Domestic violence, Blog Post

Domestic Violence with child holding her hands to her ears

Domestic Violence - Walking Away

Domestic violence -affects more people than we realise. It affects not only those who have gone through it but it also affects our family members. Believe it or not, there are men who also suffer domestic violence at the hands of their female partners. Not only does it affects the individual being abused but it also affects mostly the children that are living in the home. It is absolutely wrong and in no way should another person put their hands another of God’s creation.

A few years ago, I was living in a similar situation and living in an abusive relationship which made me felt so worthless and fearful but thanks be to the Almighty Father, He delivered me from this. It affects your mental health in the worst way and speaking from a voice of experience, the stigma is in no way one that I would want to experience again.

I remember when I was three months pregnant with my son, my former partner pulled me down a flight of stairs by my hair. He pulled me so hard, it pulled out some of my hair by the roots. That night I decided that I cannot stay with my abusive partner. I gained the strength and courage through my now Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and left and went and stayed with a relative.

Some may think that this is only physical but this can also be financial, emotional, psychological and sexual. Throughout the Holy Bible, we can see numerous scriptures that the Lord was totally against domestic violence. In Psalm 11, the Lord associates violence with wickedness and this is detestable to the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 22:26 “but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter. Rape in the bible is equivalent to murder.

We are also made in God’s image and to violate another human being is just like violating our Heavenly Father.

Forced marriages are also domestic violence even though some may think that it is not. There are so many places where you can seek help. We have women aid, national domestic abuse helpline and most importantly the police can be contacted. Call 999.

LEAP OF FAITH

It is not easy at times to walk away when we have been in such a situation for a period of time. Our mind is telling us things like, he will stop one day, I made him get angry or he was feeling stressed. Do not make anymore excuse for this person because in Psalm 139:14, the Lord tells us this: I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

As a child of God whether you are black, white, man or woman, we are fearfully and wonderfully made and God loves us more than we can even imagine. The hardest step is to decide to leave but once the mind is conditioned that this cannot continue, know that you will have the biggest cheerleader cheering you on and it is the Lord Himself because He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us.

You are worth more in the sight of God than any other human being. So much so that He sent His only son to die on the cross at Calvary over 2000 years ago for our sins. You may be saying to yourself but I have nowhere to go, no money, nothing. This is where you are so wrong, why you may ask, this is because you have the creator of the universe on your side. All He wants us to do is to trust Him and take that leap of faith.

If you are someone that you know is going through this, do not let that person suffer in silence. If possible, get them away from that situation. This is a very horrible thing to go through.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father as I come to You this day, I am hurting so much but I have decided to put my faith and trust in You alone. I do not know where You are going to take me but if you lead I am willing to follow. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen

Does Prayer Still Works

by Odette | Aug 5, 2020 | The power of prayer, Blog Post

Does Prayer Still Works

Does prayer still works? Most often wonder if by praying they will get the answers to their burning questions or have their prayers answered. By reading the bible, we see that by praying to our Heavenly Father, He answers our prayers. At times, it may not be the answer that we need, but that does not means that He does not listen to us.

In the book of Daniel, chapter 9:3-5: Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession... In this passage, we can see that Daniel who was living in Babylon at the time was praying to the Lord for his people.

In the book of Exodus chapter 33, Moses pleaded with the Lord because the Lord was going to destroy the Israelites because of their rebellion. By this prayer, the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

The book of Philippians, chapter 4:6-7 states as follows: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

But why do we pray? The bible tells us that prayer is the way that we communicated with our Heavenly Father. By praying to Him, it starts the relationship that He wants to have with us His children. Although He already knows everything about us as in the book of Jeremiah 1:5

" Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you a prophet to the nations...",

Will All Our Prayers Be What We Want To Hear

We are no different from anyone else and at times the answer that the Lord gives us is No. It can be disappointing, however, this is where we need to have faith in Him to believe that He knows what is best for us. When the answer is no, it is not because He does not love us, but it is because it is not in His will for us to have what we have prayed for.

Have you ever wished/prayed for something so badly and when you finally receive it, you are like, I can't believe I wanted this. It has not lived up to your expectation. So think of it this way, when the Lord tells us no, it is not because He doesn't love us, but quite the opposite, it is because He loves us that is why some of our requests are not answered.

Comment and let's start a discussion.

God’s Love For His Children

by Odette | May 16, 2019 | Blog Post

God's Love For His Children

God's love for His children are visible everywhere and many people may question whether our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ actually exist. To some it is a no brainer because of the experience and the encounter that they have had with him. However, there are some who has never grown up learning or even contemplated that he actually exists.

The fact is he actually is alive and well and wants to be so much apart of our everyday lives it is unbelievable.

The love of God is so overwhelming towards us his children that he sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we can come back into fellowship with him.

1 John chapter 4, verse 9 depicts the love of God perfectly:

In this was manifested the God's love for His children toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

How many can say that they would give their only child as a living sacrifice to save the entire world. If we are being honest not one of us who do such a thing.

People often ask if God loves us then why does he allow so many bad things to happen to people and such wickedness to come upon this land. If we are being honest and actually examine ourselves, we have removed the fellowship with our Heavenly Father that we are called to do and prefer to do what pleases us. However, in the book of 2 Chronicles, chapter 7 verse 14, we are given to answer to all this wickedness:

The Lord reminds us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that "then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land".

I could on and on and show verses from the bible when our Heavenly Father shows how much he loves us and wants us to come back into fellowship with him.

Please feel free to leave a comment and let's start a discussion.

Think about it.

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