MEN & SUCCESS

Psalm 112:1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds GREAT DELIGHT in his commands.

Every man on the face of the earth wants or desires to be successful. And while..its right to desire to be successful, there are only two ways to get there. SUCCESS can either by FEAR-DRIVEN or FAITH-DRIVEN.

FEAR-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

Blessed is the man who wakes up early and stays up late; the man who has a life insurance; the man who has savings for a rainy day; the man who exercises and eat health; the man who knows the rules of the game etc.

Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat_ for he grants sleep to those he loves.

But…something goes missing for this man….HIS HEART! No matter how sure or secure he is at his present or perceived future….HIS HEART IS ALWAYS FEARFUL. Why? Because he has no fear of the Lord in his heart.

On the other hand…the man who has the fear of the Lord in his heart walks securely. His present or future is sure…as he walks by faith.

FAITH-DRIVEN SUCCESS says:

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY…all year round!!!!

You are called a FATHER because you have a CHILD or CHILDREN. They might be your natural seed, adopted or spiritual children. But whatever the case, ONCE A FATHER, ALWAYS A FATHER. Fathers have their God-given role to raise up children into responsible adults. But the GODLY FATHER has a defined task to raise up children into a GODLY OFFSPRING… which in turn makes up a GODLY GENERATION. Throughout the history of the children of Israel, when the FATHERS failed in their role to raise up GODLY OFFSPRING, the next generation became godless and began worshiping foreign god.

Today, you as a GODLY FATHER… as you celebrate your first or more years of being a father…remember, your role has not changed. God desires for you to continue in the following:

FATAL ATTRACTION

2 Samuel 13:15 Then Amnon hated her with INTENSE HATRED. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, ‘Get up and get out!’

The stories in the bible are not always what we would like them to be. Of all things, we hate to read the possibility of RAPE or INCEST among those who were chosen of God. But…truth be told. The bible stories are the very same stories we read in our modern newspapers or watch in our television screens in the safety of our homes. Everyone…wants to be loved and appreciated for the right reasons, and by the right person in different ways. No-one wants to be loved by a brother…not as a sister but as a lover! NO-ONE. Absolutely, no-one. But that’s exactly what happened to Tamar, King David’s daughter. David had several wives…hence, Tamar and Amnon had different mothers, but the same father. So in reality, they shared the same blood.

But that fact did not stop Amnon from falling in love with his half-sister, Tamar. Moreover, long before this, God has issued instructions about how to behave towards blood relatives in the book of Leviticus of which Amnon was fully aware.

Leviticus 18:6, 9 ‘No-one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
‘Do not have sexual relations with your SISTER, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same house or elsewhere.

However, Amnon was too much in love…to think rationally. He was so much into HIS FEELINGS… that he never once stopped to consider the consequences of following after his own heart. Yes…that’s what FATAL ATTRACTION

WARNING: SHE COMES WITH FAVOR

Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a GOOD THING and receives FAVOR FROM THE LORD.

I guess every country has its own traditions when it comes to the wedding cards. But back at home, in Kenya, my native country, we have this expectation that on the wedding card there is always a scripture verse chosen by the couple to-be, as their wedding motto. Of the many wedding cards I have come across, I did notice that many couples chose the above scripture for their new marriage covenant. And for many reasons than not, I DO LOVE THIS SCRIPTURE VERSE. For one, it is a scripture more husband-directed than wife. Secondly, its a scripture that comes with two sure declarations from the Lord: A GOOD THING AND FAVOR.

A wife is a GOOD THING….because she is a gift from God to man.

Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is NOT GOOD for man to be alone. I will make a HELPER suitable for him.”

A wife is GOOD THING….because she came from man.

Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made woman from the rib he had taken OUT OF THE MAN, and he brought her to the man.

HOSANNA: BLESSED IS HE…

John 12:13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “HOSANNA! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Oh…I SEE THE CROWD…IT IS HUGE and growing by the hour! I see…children, young men and women, and the older ones are joining in too. Oh…I see the blind men whose sight were restored…and the lepers who are no longer outcasts.. Oh…I see the one’s who had tested death but Jesus raised them back to life. I see the Samaritan woman and the woman with the issue of blood, the smile on their faces tell their story more than a thousand words. And how can I miss out on the Centurion whose daughter was restored to health and Jesus was so deeply impressed by his faith . I see sane men who were once demon possessed. The shouts and jubilation gets louder. Oh…JERUSALEM has never seen anything like this before. Right there in front of their eyes...HISTORY is in the making.

EXTRAVAGANT LOVE: OUR BOX OF GOODIES

From the comfort of my home, I wish you all a HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY and love all year round. I made this box of goodies especially for you, with the help of my husband, Chris and our daughter, Renata. I hope you will find strength and courage each day to fill it with love, goodness and tender mercies for your family, friends and people around you and above all for the GLORY OF GOD.

The blueberries were handpicked by my family and I last autumn and represent OUR LOVE ADVENTURES.

The strawberries were bought and frozen for use over the winter period and represent OUR LOVE RESERVIOR.

The scented candles with an orange fragrance represent OUR EVER GLOWING LOVE.

The tiny heart-shaped lid in the middle concealed the greatest gift a man can give to the woman he loves…my engagement ring…and it represents OUR EXTRAVAGANT LOVE to each other for life!

May the Lord cause you to find LOVE EXTRAVAGANT because HE IS LOVE!

THE BLEEDING ISSUES

Luke 8:43-44 And a woman was there who been subject to BLEEDING FOR TWELVE YEARS, but no-one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and IMMEDIATELY HER BLEEDING STOPPED.

Every woman can agree with me on this one. The first sign that one is ready for motherhood comes when a woman receives her first menstrual discharge, which occurs frequently in early teen years. And while it is one thing to bleed between 3-7 days a month, it is another to go through a 24/7 cycle for an agonizing twelve years…Yes, TWELVE PAINSTAKING

I NEED HEALING

Yesterday, I woke up with a bad back pain and its still giving me a very hard time. I am asking for my friends out there to stand with you in prayer as I believe the Lord for my healing. On Monday, I will go and see our family doctor to find out what may be the cause. But meanwhile, like the prophet, I pray

HEAL ME LORD, AND I WILL BE HEALED.
SAVE ME, AND I WILL BE SAVED.
MAY THE RIVERS OF JOY CONTINUALLY FLOW FROM MY HEART.

I pray that many will join me to declare healing for their bodies, souls, minds, families, marriages, and say

I will not die but live, and will PROCLAIM what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Psalms 118:17-18