Isaiah 43:19

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.

We have not communicated since July 2016. God has been working, and I was in the place where I needed to see where He is taking the family, the ministry and me. Many things happened. The ministry continued, but the writing part was not moving. We did not want to force it. Anything that God is in it, it becomes much easier.

The above Scripture is painting the picture of where the ministry is. God began a new thing, and made pathway through the wilderness. We needed a new work, a new miracle, a new victory. There is a new branch in the ministry and it is exciting. The branch was launch in December 2016. Please watch the space for what really happened, and more devotionals soon. We will also have clips of recordings this year. It is our prayer that each one of you will have a blessed 2017, and may 2017 bring peace in the midst of chaos.

See you soon.

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I have been reading the story of Jonah in the past weeks because my daughter was involved in the holiday club where they were learning about Jonah. I was so convicted about how we often judge Jonah for his disobedience when we ourselves are sometimes very disobedient.

Those who don’t know the story, it is found in the book of Jonah chapters 1-4. What I liked about Jonah in this story is his honesty. He was very honest, Jonah 1: 2 God send him to the great city of Nineveh, to announce God’s judgment against it. Jonah took an opposite direction. He did not try to be super spiritual about it. When his plan back fires in chapter 1, this is what he says in verse 9: “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.” He knew God very well and have a relationship with Him.

Towards the end of chapter two, Jonah did what the writer of the book of Hebrews 5:7 said about Jesus. “He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard.…” In chapter 3:1-2, God was still giving Jonah the same message. Is God that desperate? Not at all. We talking about the God here who opened the mouth of a donkey, Numbers 22:28-30, the same God who opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind, Exodus 14:21. There is no desperation there. Then what is it? I believe that God invest in each one of us the ability, strength and the grace to accomplish what He need to accomplish with us.

God wanted Jonah because He has invested in Jonah everything that is needed to deliver that message. God believed in Jonah. The thing is, we want it to be in our own terms. Jonah 4: 3 “Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen”. Like all of us, Jonah wanted the recognition. “I predicted….” Jonah’s integrity is at stake here, not God. What about my integrity God? Some of us don’t want to be in the positions where God use us behind the scenes.

I am learning that now only, sometimes, all He wants is someone to embody Him, He want a body so that He can be in that place physically. You don’t need to say anything, just show up and be. And that is not always easy. See you next time. I missed you.

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Dear all, who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ. (Jude1:1&2) Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

I have been reflecting back to on 2015 and, as I was doing that, I was reminded that the Israelites were told to remember, and never forget God. In Deuteronomy Moses is reflecting on their 40- year journey in the wilderness, and also remembers the journey of Israel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh Barnea.

It is so easy to forget what God did. I want to challenge you to journal, if you have not yet tried to do that. I am able to do this reflection because I have been writing down almost all of the highs and lows of my personal and ministry life.

The family had the privilege of giving Zizo (a little girl of 2 years, 9 months) a home; it is such a joy to have her. I testified to many of you about how God made sure that we are not burdened by her. We did not have to adjust in any way. God adjusted her to fit into our lifestyle. Again God showed Himself as a Gentleman; He does not burden us with His work.  That reminded me of Matthew 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I said God’s work does not bring burden to us; however God’s work brings challenges.

MINISTRY: We had our first financial meeting in March this year; Edith was able to join us from Kenya, thanks to technology. We are hoping to have these meetings at least once a term and to give you feedback, as well. 

OPPORTUNITIES: I also became a contributor to Cape Radio Pulpit for Xhosa listeners this year. My devotional messages are broadcast every day and sermons every weekends. You can get this station on 729 AM. I only recently became aware of the fact that the station gets the feedback, and we are allowed to know.  

The churches continue to seek us out when they need an outside speaker. The other opportunity was to be invited by Woolworths to speak to their annual staff graduation in Lagoon beach hotel. The CEO, GM, STORE MANAGERS and departmental managers were there. Woolworth’s employees are a diverse group, so I even had Moslems in the audience there. I told them that I will read from the Bible but they had no problem with that. They told me they’d heard about me from the one of the churches I went to speak to in Belhar. We received very good feedback.

Then I was approached by the Christian Aids Bureau of Southern Africa, (CABSA) to write the online sermons for their ministry. My first sermon was posted online on the 20th of December. If you go to their website you will be able to see it. (www.cabsa.co.za)

TEAM: The book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” It was a year of new seasons for some of us!

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Phumzile September started her Social Work degree at Stellenbosch University and is now studying full time; it is a four year degree, which means her involvement in the ministry is more limited. 

Zanlie de Jager got a new job in Gauteng, she started the 1st of October.  She is now staying in Pretoria.

Zola Zaphi resigned at Nedbank after 24 years of service, to answer God’s calling in her life.

While I was busy writing a pre-proposal for Stellenbosch University, the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation (DLTLF) offered me a position as well as a PHD Scholarship. I started working with them on the 1st of November.   The DLTLF, however, also acknowledge the work I am doing for the ministry, and they allow me to go to speak whenever I need to.  I am currently working with the Masiphumelele and Gugulethu communities. Their head office is at the Water front. I also moved to Fish hoek in December as it is a central area to both.  I had to say goodbye to the Helderberg Gemeente and was sent off with warm blessings and much appreciation.

PRAYER ITEMS:  Please continue to pray for our wonderful team: Zanlie, Edith, Zola,Phumzile and Santie. 

CONCLUSION:  (Jude 1: 24-25) To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy —  to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Have a blessed 2016. We are looking forward working with you again in the Kingdom -2016

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What is it that draws these so- called “sinful/immoral women” to Jesus?

The Samaritan woman who had a reputation met Him at the well, the woman who was caught in adultery met with Him and now this “sinful woman” anoints His head with expensive oil. Let us give this sinful woman a voice and a name.

Nonceba (meaning, Mercy) begins to speak about her experience with Jesus in Simon’s house.

“Jesus was very busy that day, I thought to myself. He must be much drained. He healed an officer’s servant , raised from the dead a widow’s son, the crowd was following Him and the blind received sight, the lame walked, and those people who had leprosy, were healed.

I was amazed by all of that.

I wondered as I watched Him from the distance, can He heal my emptiness? How I wanted to touch Him, but was afraid of His disciples. Later that day, I saw Him entering the house of Simon, (the Pharisee).

When I looked at Him, something inside me jumped. I was attracted to Him as a moth attracted to the lights. I watched Him till the door was closed behind Him. I was not sure what to do, but I knew one thing, something happened inside of me when I looked at Him. There was this “joy” that suddenly filled my heart. I wanted to give myself to Him, but it sounded weird. I felt the need to respond to this “joy” that filled my heart.

I went to buy a bottle of Alabaster perfume. They were about to eat dinner when I entered Simon’s house. I stood behind Jesus and felt the strange warmth in my whole body that brought tears to my eyes. I gave Him my tears, and washed His feet with my tears. I used my hair to dry His feet.

The fear, the shame, the guilt and sorrow left me. As I massaged His feet with perfume, I felt a sense of boldness that overwhelmed me. I closed my eyes to listen to the circulation of His feet muscles, and that was a breath-taking moment. The more I massaged His feet, the closer I felt to Him. The closer I felt to Him, the more I became aware of who I really was. I began to cry even more. Yet, He allowed “this” to touch Him, to come so very close to Him, and that was something out of the world, compared to where I come from.

As I was soaked in my own tears, I felt liberated by the circulation of His blood to His feet. I felt His heart through His feet, I felt unconditional love for the first time. “LOVE” was just there in His blood. He never said anything to me, yet He said everything about me to Simon. When He finally addressed me, He said “Your sins are forgiven,” yet I felt free and liberated before He uttered those liberating words.”

 What I want you to hear from this testimony is that, there is something particular in Jesus’ character that is attracted to “mess”. He turns mess into a message, and that, my friends He does so well. I know that for sure.

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To write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry.

I recently heard Julie Meyer, (the singer) say this on Faith Connect, DSTV channel 341,”I hated myself from 17 years till I was 30 years old.”

 She loved God. In her testimony this is what she says,” I loved God. I sang to God. I sang about God. Yet, for years I did not fully believe that He loved me. I totally believed He loved everyone else, but I had a hard time believing He loved me.”

There are still many of us who hate ourselves and find it difficult to accept that God loves us. I am wondering though, is it possible then to love ourselves if we have not received the love of God? I am not talking about self-obsessed, self-absorbed or even self-centredness. I am talking about accepting ourselves as we are and loving what is inside and what we see when we look in the mirror. Do we need to love ourselves first, and then we will be able to accept that God loves us? Or is it the other way round?

I would like to use Scripture as a point of departure. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. That should be the point of departure, when we seek to love ourselves. We did not have to clean ourselves first, and then God loved us. The bible says, God loved us while we were still messy. God loved and died for that mess, when there was not even a guarantee that we will love Him back.

That is what we find difficult to accept. Where we come from, we are loved while we are still good, when we mess up, that love goes out of the window. We are loved conditionally. And we accepted that.

Now, there comes Jesus with His unconditional love.

It is scary. What is scarier is the fact that this LOVE knows us by name and loves us as individuals. Now when I look at myself closely, with the knowledge that Jesus knows how messy I am, and yet loved me enough to die for me, I find it hard to accept that truth.

That, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters is both scary and liberating. Let me explain this. When it scares us, it causes us to feel unworthy of God’s love. It is easy when we pretend that God loves what we let people see. When we are pretending long enough, then we believe that He loves and died for what we let people see. The reason is that we think that God loves and died for the person we pretend to be. It is liberating when we allow that LOVE to enter in the darkest places of our being. That is when we start loving and accepting who we are. The key word is to RECEIVE that love, when we do; we cannot help but respond with humility and a heart that is willing to serve that LOVE.

We are still going to continue to talk about this LOVE next time. Stay blessed.

Is it true that God loves me? Part 2

The love of God is stronger than we are to hope or dream!!

To be able to understand this week’s message, one will have to go back to part 1 of this message.

Last time we used Romans 5: 8 “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

Something strikes me about this LOVE when I look at the book of Genesis 3: 8&9 “In the cool of the evening, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking around in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. The Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”

WOW!

God, the Omniscient, went to look for them, knowing very well how messy they were. LOVE could not stay away from them. He went Himself to meet with them despite their condition.

Jesus met with the Samaritan woman, and had a conversation that liberated her. Leaving behind her water jar, the woman returned to town, inviting the people to “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” (John 4:29, ESV) John might  not have known her name, but this LOVE knew her by name. LOVE approached her as an individual.

The point is, it is easy to accept verses like these: “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die”. (John 3:16,CEV). Because these kind of verses are talking about people, (group) we can blend in, but it is difficult to accept that this LOVE knows us by name, and addresses us as individuals. We find it difficult to accept that truth. How can this perfect LOVE, love this mess?

This LOVE found the woman alone, and addressed her as an individual. I think what liberated her most, despite Jesus‘ foreknowledge of her, He approached her. That causes her to leave behind her water jar, and run to the village to tell the people. Jesus’ eyes, looked into that mess, and loved and accepted the individual in that mess.

It is very easy to say, we love God, we can sing of His love forever, but very difficult to say God loves me DESPITE. Perhaps if we can start by what David said in Psalm 139: 1-6 “O LORD, you have examined me, and you know me. You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away. You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before there is a [single] word on my tongue, you know all about it, LORD. You are all around me-in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me. Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it”.

However God, I receive and accept your unconditional love for me - my emphasis.

 Is there something we are missing when we do not receive this unconditional love?

We will look at that next time.

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