U.S. Elections 2016

The U.S. elections that will be held next week are going to be the most interesting, most important and most shocking of all time? I heard Pastor Perry Stone say recently that there will be an exclamation of “What…how did this happen?” Unexpected turns of events are going to happen that will cause this reaction? Also last year in August, on Sid Roth’s program, he interviewed Glenda Jackson and she gave a profound prophecy that said-: “The U.S. elections in November 2016 will not take place. It will be suspended because evil will arise and some disasters will happen and the President will not be removed but will be required to stay in office.” Of course we will all have to wait and see how this is going to turn out but my own studies that I have done on “The Four Great Beasts” could also strongly suggest the same outcome? Four world empires that Daniel predicted in Dan. 7:3-7 are also shadow types of future, present day empires…for example the Babylonian Empire is a shadow type of the U.S.A. (lion with eagle’s wings). The Medo-Persian Empire – present day Russia (bear with 3 ribs) and Grecian Empire – the Middle East (like a leopard). But interesting to note the fourth empire (Roman Empire), a composite of the 3 previous ones, is described in more detail by John in Rev. 13:2. “And the beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear and his mouth was like that of a lion…” Notice all three same animals are represented again and if we look at the symbols and their meanings we come up with an interesting conclusion? 1. body = temple = religion – leopard (small but swift) = Middle East 2. feet = dominion – bear (large, all devouring) = Russia 3. mouth = authority – lion (king of beasts, strength) = U.S.A. Now to put this all together…this beast has the religion (body) of the Middle East (Islam), the dominion (feet) or backing of Russia and has the authority (mouth) of a king. At the moment the statement of “backing of Russia” doesn’t add up as there is much in the media at the moment about Russia, war ships, submarines, nuclear war threats and possibly another “Cold War” with much tension between the two superpowers! An interesting thought though, this tension has only arisen now that a new president is about to be elected – that’s strange? But another very interesting study on numbers makes me totally convinced? We are currently on the 44th president – the 45th about to be elected or maybe not? The number four is the number for earth – kingdoms, nations and continents…the double 4 could represent the whole earth, the entire world? In Daniel 2:41-44 he describes the final kingdom of 10 toes, mixed with iron and clay, that will rule on earth and will control the entire earth (Dan. 7:23-24) and ultimately will be ruled by one leader over all the 10 rulers. This final empire or “One World Government” is known as the “New World Order”. Whew I’ve written a whole, very interesting chapter, on that alone…you are getting just a very brief snippet here! We are certainly living in the final chapters of this age and are seeing prophecy about to be fulfilled right before our eyes. So yes this election is a very crucial one and depending on the course of events, may reveal the beginning of all these prophetic fulfillments?

Storms of Life

We should not despise the storms of life even though they bring great upheaval and destruction! Storms uproot and bring things to the surface that would never normally be seen. Often people in our lives pretend to be devoted friends or acquaintances but underneath lays currents of hatred, jealousy, disloyalty and betrayal (Ps. 55:8, 12-16, 21). It is only a storm that will bring these underlying deceits to the surface where it is in plain sight for all to see and what was truly in their hearts is now exposed and the truth revealed. It could be that this person was even blocking or holding back the blessings that God was trying to release into our lives and in order to expose this He had to allow a storm to uproot it? Remember God is able to turn every situation around for our good (Rom 8:28) even though at the time it seems like a disaster! As long as we stay in the secret place of the Most High (Ps. 91:1-11) and remain stable (don’t stoop to their level, keep your heart pure) you will be protected from evil plots and curses. In fact, in due season, you will witness the reward of the wicked (vs. 8) as curses are like boomerangs they always return to where they came from. Dr. Chris Hill made an interesting statement…“Rejection is God’s protection! Sometimes God will remove someone in your life to protect you from the ‘stuff’ that’s on them.” He gave an example of his father who walked out before he was born. God later told him that if his father had stayed he would have had the same generational curses come into his life. We are often devastated by such rejections but God always has the best plan for our lives. May God give you the strength to face your storm and may peace, which is beyond understanding, and is only found at the storm’s centre (Ps. 91:1) be your reward and comfort.

Pit of Depression

Only just recently having read an open and honest testimony of someone who last year went through a very difficult time of depression, reminded me of what a serious and common problem this is. I too have been through this dark side of life and would like to just share a few things that might be able to help someone else who is in this right now? Depression is a pit, a hole that we fall into due to certain circumstances that can overwhelm us or bring fear into our lives. We all experience depression, things happen in life that are just simply not fair, that are extremely difficult and sometimes hard to understand! We might go through a loss of a loved one or a job or something else and feel we just cannot go on. Unfair things also happen to us, we are unjustly criticized or slandered, being despised and rejected. Or it could be a fear and uncertainty of the future. Unforgiveness and bitterness is another huge cause of depression. Whatever the circumstance you are facing, just know that you are not the only one who is going through it, there are others going through the same thing, such things are common to all of us. But when you are going through it you feel you are the only one and no-one can understand what it feels like – this is an untruth and even if there was no human to understand there is One who knows all our weaknesses as He too suffered in every way we do and therefore understands and is able to comfort and strengthen us in these times if we will just turn to Him and not run from Him. 2 Chron. 15:2 “if you seek Him, He will be found by you...” and Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.” and Acts 2:21 “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (delivered or rescued).” There are of course other things that can cause depression, such as medical problems which are physical. It could be a simple thing as hormone imbalances in woman going through menopause (or have had ovaries removed). Also chemical imbalances in the body can be caused through excessive intake of alcohol; most people don’t know this but alcohol is a depressant. People partake of it when they are depressed to make them feel better (and it does momentarily) but then when it wears off it takes you down into a deeper pit of depression. We then try to fix this imbalance with medication such as anti-depressants. But be extremely cautious of anti-depressants, some of them are highly addictive and others once you come off them can make you suicidal. They should only be taken on the short term. I strongly suggest you seek medical advice before continuing such drugs. This of course doesn’t apply to chronic disorders such as manic depression. So therefore seek medical help and advice then seek spiritual advice. It is usually impossible to get out of this pit by yourself. You need the helping hand of a family member, a friend, a pastor or a professional to council you. Sometimes just talking to someone who can offer Godly advice can be all that you need to get you through this. Of course God is always there to deliver those who will call upon His name and He will often use ministering angels to help change the course of depression and “lift” you out of it (Heb. 1:14; Ps. 40:2). Depression is a pitfall or trap the enemy uses because he knows your strength comes from your joy (Neh. 8:10). If he can keep you there long enough all your strength will be drained away and you will be totally helpless like Samson was when his hair was cut (Jud. 16:19). This pit is a bottomless pit with different levels. When you first fall into it you are on one of the higher ledges – the longer you stay in it the further down you will go and will progressively fall to lower levels (this is when suicide becomes a constant thought). Just a side note here suicide is not an option; our lives are not our own and we have no right to end them. First of all the choice to commit suicide is a sin that will send you to a place of outer darkness and terror even if you do not believe hell exists that does not change the fact that it does. Jesus actually spoke more about hell than He did about heaven (Luke 16:19-31). He only promises eternal life to those who overcome and who endure to the end (Rev. 2:10, 11; 3:5, 10-12; Matt. 10:22, 24:13). He also promises to never leave us or forsake us and that He will always be with us through every trial and difficulty (Heb. 13:5; Ps. 91:14-15; Josh. 1:9; Isa. 41:10). It is a pit you cannot get out of yourself – it is only the long arm of the Lord that can reach done and lift you up out of the deep miry clay (Ps. 40:2; 69:14; Isa. 60:1). When you are in depression your natural tendency is to wallow in self pity and to isolate yourself – this is the worst thing to do. Don’t be too proud to tell someone (someone who can stand for you in prayer), as soon as possible, that you are struggling with depression. The enemy’s favourite line he will whisper in your ear is…“God doesn’t love you, nor does anyone else, nothing good will ever happen for you! It’s too late, it’s over, you’ve blown it, and you will never make it! You’re just a failure” It’s important to note that depression is a “fruit”; it is the result of something i.e. of failure, fear, disappointment or the loss of something. It is also one of the fruit’s of sin, where there is anger, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, anxiety, worry, fear, unbelief and doubt, depression will surely follow! One of the keys to overcoming depression then is to find out what the root is (you cannot kill a weed without pulling up its root) then pull it up by dealing with the cause of the problem. If strife is the cause, make amends with that person, if fear is the cause counter attack with the Word of God (Jer. 29:11; Ps. 139 etc). If it’s a loss allow time for the grief process but then stop holding onto the past (or you will become trapped there), let it go and begin to focus on the bright future God has for you. Then the next step is a huge one and that is to take perspective on reality and to begin to think of and focus on all the good things in your life – be grateful and thankful for the sooo many blessings in your life! Even things like having the use of your limbs, being able to breathe easily, being able to see and hear and being able to live without pain! What about the blessing of family and friends? Once you begin to think about the good things (Phil. 4:8) and keep your mind “set” (Col. 3:2) on them your problems in comparison will soon fade away. Stop allowing the depression to breed and fester by focusing on the problem. I live right opposite a school for the handicapped and often when I become depressed I have to just remind myself that there are so many suffering with hardships and difficulties we can’t possibly imagine (what about those who are trapped in human trafficking?)…there is always someone far worse off than you! Being thankful and grateful is a main key to being set free from depression and self pity. Here is a cute saying… “to keep your tank full (of love, joy and peace) be THANK FULL”. It is also, by the way, the only way you can approach God (Ps. 100:4). Depression is not something we have to bare and put up with. It is a choice! You, yourself can choose to stay in depression or you can choose to take steps to get out of it. You can choose to leave the past and all its mistakes and disappointments behind you and begin to focus on what’s ahead of you… “BEHOLD, I AM DOING A NEW THING!” “New things always seem frightening at first but soon they will become old things! In order to take hold of a new thing, we must let go of the old & allow ourselves time to get acquainted with the new. Remember the good things from your past, but do not get stuck there, do not be afraid to release and walk away from what God is finished with! God is always doing a new thing and He has wonderful new things waiting for you!” Joyce Meyer (Josh. 1:1-9; Isa. 43:19; Jer. 29:11).

Men - The Woman of Your Dreams

You have inspired me to write something very interesting…well I hope you find it interesting, maybe not what you are expecting but these are God’s principals in finding a “wife” and if you follow His path you will have success and be blessed i.e. you will “birth” an Issac (which by the way means laughter)….but on the other hand, if you choose to do it your way, you will most definitely “birth” an “Ishmael” i.e. you will have difficulties and problems and it will be extremely painful. All this talk about “birthing” yes it’s “Birthing Your Dream”. God will but a desire in your heart as a seed, you then go through a whole process of actually bringing that dream or desire to “full term”. Unfortunately most people are in too much of a hurry and are impatient to wait for God to work out this process in your life. If you try to “help” God along and hurry up the process you will fail and have disaster. It’s like the story of the “Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32) the son took his inheritance before he was ready to receive it, his character had not been developed enough for him to be able to handle success, he then squandered and lost everything. The same thing happens to us if our character has not had the chance to develop before we are ready to receive what God has for us (He develops your character through hardships and adversity). And this particularly applies to men as they are the spiritual leaders of the home and family and God will not give you a woman to lead until you are proficient in being led, directed and submissive to your heavenly Father. The main verse on this subject, I believe is Ps 37:4-5 “Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” The key phrase here is “DELIGHT” yourself in the Lord…you see God will NOT take second place in your life He wants and deserves FIRST place in everything that involves you. Why should He give you a wife (or a business) if you are going to just ignore Him and maybe even idolize and worship your wife instead of Him? Can you see and understand my point here? Once you have put Him in first place and love and delight in Him (Mark 12:30) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.” He then can trust you with other things…the desires He has already put in your heart. You see when you love Him like that you will want to please and obey Him and a woman can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that you will seek His council and lead her correctly and also treat her well. Whew, you see not what you were expecting eh? But there is more wisdom to add to this if you’re willing to listen? I just want to add a quote I wrote:- “I just want to add here that the enemy will do anything to try and distract us from God’s perfect will (Rom 12:2) and purpose for our lives and to move us in another direction, getting us to birth an Ishmael which will only bring huge problems, anxiety and stress into our lives. It may seem right and look and feel right but its way only ends in destruction and death (Prov 14:12). A sure and full proof way of “steal, kill and destroy” (Jn 10:10; 1 Pet 5:8) tactic. All I can say here is this “FOLLOW YOUR HEART” for this is where the Lord speaks, this is where He will lead and guide you – follow His footsteps and the promptings of the Holy Spirit and He will never, ever guide you into the wrong path as He only has a good and perfect plan for your life. One that will bring you great joy, peace and prosperity (Ps 16:6,11).” What I was trying to say here is that there are counterfeits out there which the enemy of your soul is longing for you to take the bait…to be lured away from God’s plan for your life because he knows it will bring great destruction to you and totally lead you in the wrong direction. Some wise words once told to me were “how can you ever find the right relationship if you are in the wrong one?” i.e. if you are in the wrong relationship, the right one can slip away. I know this is a very hard pill to swallow for guys, it’s much harder for you to “wait” but I promise you it will be worth it in the end. The other point I made here is “listen to your heart…the Holy Spirit will direct you". Many times people will mislead us and give us wrong council (Ps 1:1). A story here of a couple I know that had great opposition from even church leaders and were told not to marry…but they listened to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and obeyed Him rather and today 15 years later are still happily married. You see people do not know God’s plan for your life…He will reveal it to you not them. A word of warning here…having said that, God has put safe guards in place in the form of your family, especially your parents who He has given godly wisdom to, to guide you (and also your spiritual authorities). They are able to see things that you might not. You know the saying “love is blind” so relying on their wisdom is paramount. But again the Holy Spirit is your final authority and He is the only One to obey in the end (if you should be put in a very difficult situation where people are totally against your decision…but most of the time your parents will somehow “know”). Another point…write the vision and make it plain (Hab 2:2)write down the qualities you are looking for in your “Dream Girl” you will be amazed at how God will bring all those qualities before you when the time is right…but you have to first be clear and know exactly what you want…this is another “safe guard” as if a woman comes along that distinctly doesn’t have the qualities you’re looking for, even though you like her, I promise you, you are on the wrong track as remember God gives you the desires of your heart. So once again be clear and distinct and know exactly what you are looking for in “your woman”, and don’t be tempted to settle for second best. Another word of warning here, of course NO-ONE is perfect…you will not find a perfect woman, remember we are ALL works in progress…even you! But you must still know and be clear of what qualities you are looking for as God is a very specific God, He needs to know exactly what you want (eich be careful here what you ask for or forget to ask for...story of a woman who said I forgot to ask that he would also like my friends…her husband hates her friends). Ok can I add something personal here? This also relates to the part on the counterfeit….my experience in this journey is that God gives you this vision or dream and in this process of birthing your dream, there seems to come a point when your dream or what you are believing God for, actually dies, right in front of you, it dies. To your absolute horror and dismay and confusion you begin to wonder what on earth is going on….why has this died or come to an end…wasn’t this what You have promised me? All these questions begin to arise and you are in a state of shock! But this quote explains it quite clearly:- “God often births a vision in our lives only to allow it to die first before the purest version of the vision is manifested. This has happened several times in my own journey. Oswald Chambers observes, "God's method always seems to be vision first, and then reality, but in between the vision and the reality there is often a deep valley of humiliation.” Os Hillman You see the way I see it…God’s vision and plan for you is far greater and bigger than we could ever imagine and is often too overwhelming for us to handle at that time so He allows us to see our vision the way we want to see it…the way we can handle it. In parallel to this is His vision…running parallel to yours at the same time and as you are walking through your vision, He is working His vision into being. And at some point your vision has to come to an end so that His can begin. Wow does that make any sense? It will when you have to actually walk through it. But my point I just want to make here is don’t panic and be dismayed when this happens…don’t worry it’s all just apart of the plan, just keep holding on and keep trusting Him, remember Prov. 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding” often our understanding is not reliable as we cannot see what He sees (Isa. 55:8-9). I wonder if any of this makes any sense but hopefully some point I’ve made will jump out at you and maybe give you some insight to this journey that you are on? May God bless you with wisdom, insight and vision and may He bless your hands as instruments of kindness and grace and bless you with a heart full of love, compassion and understanding. But hey most of all may He bless you with a wonderful, gorgeous and godly wife!

Power of Sound

"Power of Sound!" I've just seen a dvd that had left me sitting in awe & bewilderment!!! What an indescribable & unfathomable Creator we have WOW!!!!!!! Will just share what really jumps out! First of all, how incredibly accurate the bible is! What science is only discovering now was recorded 1000's of years ago! Gen 1:1-3 describes creation, vs 2 says how the Spirit hovered over the deep... the Hebrew word for hovered means vibration! The law of Physics says that the whole universe is in a continuous state of vibratory motion & all matter has a vibration at the centre of it... even us & vibration makes a sound that is particular to it & sound has a shape (& colour). All things make a sound, even the earth, stars, planets... and even you!!!!! A fairly recent science called Data Sonicfication where they record sound of earthquakes & volcanoes but the data is too hard to analyse as its a huge series of numbers so they convert those numbers into the form of musical notes! The volcano begins to sing a song of warning before it erupt & earthquakes change their songs! But listen to this.... they have discovered, in the same way, that DNA has a song too (Protein or DNA music) & each person is completely unique & different! Everyone of us has a different life song that God can actually hear & He delights in & longs for the song that comes from YOU!!!!! You not only have a song you ARE a song, a unique song in heaven, no one has the same song as you!!! And just think without you the symphony of heaven will be missing a vital part!!!! Zep 3:17 LB "...He will rejoice over you in great gladness; He will love you and not accuse you. Is that a joyous choir i hear? No, it is the Lord Himself exulting over you in happy song..." Ps 19:1-4, Rom 10:18, Luke 19:40 They say that birds singing actually causes the earth to spring forth, where there are no birds it causes deserts!!!!! Ok these are my thoughts now! What kind of sound are you bringing forth? Is it no wonder God tells us to praise in all things Phil 4:6. What kind of sound does complaining, critical judgements, back biting, gossip, slander, lying & hatred bring forth???? Could it be this discord & disharmony in your symphony that allows sickness to come in? Sounds also have authority for life or death Prov 18:21. Our words have creative power....in the beginning God SAID let there be light....... S.J. N.B. on NASA web site you can download planet and star sounds! We are the first generation ever to hear this!!!

Siamese Twins

"Siamese Twins" Recently i had discovered a set of twins, spirit of abuse & poverty! Well I've just found another two, spirit of pride & stubbornness! Remember Saul's disobedience 1 Sam 13:13, 15:23 "for rebellion (pride) is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry.." Samuel basically told him he & his seed would no longer inherit & he would be cut off permanently which happens in 1 Sam 31, Saul & all his sons are killed! NB your sins affect your generations!!!! Now David's story, he is now also king, he commits adultery & murder & continues happily as if he is completely innocent. The prophet Nathan confronts him, unlike Saul, he truly repents! God forgives & restores him & his seed continues the Messiah's line forever! Saul is cut off forever because of his pride and stubbornness & refusal to repent, basically he had no fear of the Lord... he feared man more than God! But David had a deep respect & fear for God, he would not kill Saul when given the chance. He also in deep sorrow repented before God & humbled himself! In Ps 51 David cries out to God about this sin...Joyce writes "as long as David refused to face the truth, he could not truly repent, & as long as he could not truly repent, he could not receive forgiveness from God. Vs 6 says God desires truth "in the inner being", we must be honest with Him about our sins & ourselves & be quick to repent." Joyce Meyer The dangers of pride is it refuses to allow you to even see or admit your sins never mind to confess or repent of them! 1 Jn 1:8 says "if we say we have no sin... the Truth is not in us." This is an extremely dangerous place to be in, as Joyce said if we do not repent and turn away from our sins God cannot forgive us and if He does not forgive us we cannot see Him ever! He will not allow us into His presence Rev 21:27, 22:3, 15. We have to be willing to humble ourselves as God resists and turns away from the proud James 4:4-10, 1 Pet 5:5-6, Ps 34:18, 32, Prov 3:7, 6:17, 8:13. Now as i said in the beginning pride & stubborness are twins...where you find one you will assuredly find the other & they are strongholds within the mind, in the soul area & can only be overcome by applying the blood of Jesus & the work of the cross & constant resistance to them James 4:7 & by renewing the mind Rom 12:2-3 with the word of God. By constant confession of God's word you will change the course of your life James 3:3-4, Prov 18:21 & will be able to overcome these strongholds!!! But of course the enabling power of the Holy Spirit is also key Jn 8:31-36, 16:13 "He is called "The Spirit of Truth" a major facet of His ministry to you and me is to help us face truth - to bring us to a place of truth, because only the truth will set us free." Joyce Meyer Again the grace & power of the Holy Spirit to overcome is only given to the humble James 4:6, 1 Pet 5:5 Prov 3:34 and humility means yielding to the Holy Spirit and not trying to do it in your own strength! S.J.

I Am Free

Dear friend How are you? Hope things are going well for you? I’m sorry to worry you but something the Lord has shown me that I feel I need to share with you…hope that’s ok??? It’s a letter I am also writing to myself as this has been a huge issue for me too!!! And I’m hoping that as I write this it will bring clarity and healing for me too as it’s something I have to keep reminding myself of!!! What the Lord has shown me is that you are struggling with issues from your past…things that you are ashamed of and that you regret deeply!! It is in a sense holding you back from the new thing that God has for you. Ok I need to back track a little here…just recently I wrote something that I have been very excited about and it’s to do with entering into your new season called “Harvest Is Your Reward” (see my blog www.chooselifesjc.blogspot.com ) here’s a quote from there:- “I’ve just spoken on dealing with the devils on the new level but before you deal with those guys you actually have to first defeat the devils of the PAST before you can even think of going into your new season! In Josh 10:13,28, Joshua ordered the sun and moon to stand still – he spoke to his season to stay still as he wanted to destroy all his enemy before his season ended…he didn’t want to have to fight those same devils in the next season! Some examples, David and Goliath, he slew his four brothers as well! King Saul was told to destroy all the Amalekites but he kept King Agag alive, the queen escapes…they then have to fight a whole new generation later on, Haman!! If you do not deal with issues of the PAST your future generations will be fighting them too (generational curses…sins of the fathers!!). Oh wow what have I started here as this is a huge issue and stumbling block for most of us!!! Issues of my past have kept me back for years and it is impossible to move into a new season until these are dealt with! Unfortunately just being born into the human race means you have suffered great pains of varying degrees from childhood until now…it is not possible to live in a fallen world without experiencing all sorts of debilitating dysfunctions and in that process we put up walls to protect ourselves but in so doing we create a closed and hardened heart but that also keeps God out too and sometimes a door will stay closed because of a closed heart but “the key to all of this is having a pliable and soft heart, one that is willing to change Deut 10:16 “so circumcise the foreskin of your [minds and] hearts; be no longer stubborn and hardened” also Gen 17:11, Ezek 36:26-27, Isah 1:19, 1 Sam 15:23, Josh 5:9. If we resist change and stubbornly continue to cling to the old, comfortable way of doing things we will never experience God’s new and better things!....lay aside stubbornness, rebellion and unwillingness to change but rather be obedient and willing to submit to His Lordship, no matter how crazy or difficult it may seem! Soften your heart and become pliable, teachable and humble! Lay down your own way, your own plans and your own selfish desires Jn 12:24-25, Gal 2:20, Luke 14:33.” (taken from “See I Make All Things New”). “Love is what heals and opens a closed heart. Love is the oil that lubricates the heart and prepares it to receive 1 Jn 4:18. Love is what breaks the chains and breaks down the walls.” (taken from “The Open Door”).” Ok you know how I love to use illustrations…I always illustrate it like this…you have your hand holding onto something behind you but you are trying to reach forward and move in that direction but you can’t move cos you are still holding the thing behind you…you have to let it go so you can move forward! That’s exactly what the PAST does to you…it prevents you from moving forward!!! I know I have broached on a huge subject here and like I’ve said this is something that has affected my own life dramatically too! I’ve made terrible decisions, bad mistakes and done things I deeply regret and only recently in 2010 the Holy Spirit revealed something to me that happened in my childhood that I had no memory of which explains why I’ve reacted this way! Unfortunately with it, it brought a shame based form of thinking with wrong mindsets and strongholds! It’s something I have to work through and allow the Lord to heal me in this area which is not easy as it’s painful…but one thing I can say is the Lord is lovingly kind and gentle and He never pushes us further than we want to go! It is knowing His deep love for you, in spite of your mistakes, that allows healing and restoration to begin! The other aspect of this is knowing and understanding the work that He did for us on the cross…there is no sin that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse Isah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool”, if we will humbly come to Him in repentance asking for forgiveness 1John 1:9 amp “if we [freely] admit (own up) that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Ps 32:5 He has done all the work, He has paid the full price for our sins but we have to receive it as a free gift…we cannot work for His forgiveness, we cannot earn it or do anything to make up for it (penance)...all we have to do is willingly receive it!!! This is where most people stumble…because of the huge guilt they carry around they feel they have to do something to earn His forgiveness!!! But the problem here is that we can never be good enough…we can never, on our own, meet His standards of righteousness! Our righteousness is as filthy rags (this word is translated “menstrual towel”) in His sight Isah 64:6. Trying to do it in your own strength is NOT grace but law…grace says “come and drink freely…without price” Isah 55:1, Rom 3:24-28. There is sooo much I could share on the power of the cross, how Jesus has met and paid every single requirement that the righteous, holy and just Father requires to make restitution for our sins!! When we appropriate the blood of Jesus, the Father no longer sees our sins but only sees the blood and that full payment has been made, we are now the righteousness of Christ! But I love this illustrations too…in our own courts of law, the law of double jeopardy states we cannot be tried for the same crime twice!! This also applies here…how can God judge us for a crime that Jesus has already paid for (if we apply it and receive it)? So you see this is the KEY to freedom from guilt…freedom from the past…freedom to live a new and exciting life…freedom to start over from fresh, to begin a new beginning!! I no longer have to dwell in the past…and yes the devil will keep reminding you of it as he is the accuser of the brethren Rev 12:10 , Rom 8:1, Phil 3:13 , Isah 43:18 , 1 Jn 3:20 , Ps 44:15 , but when he does that all you have to do is remind him of his future Rev 20. Now this story is another KEY:- Last week I thought I had finished this letter (its 17/11/12 today) but I was reminded of an incident 5years ago, when I suffered greatly from guilt and condemnation and just knew I had to add this in here (but it’s been difficult for me to write and even this morning I felt that same tinge of guilt trying to sneak up on me..James 4:7 “…resist the devil and he will flee from you.”) Oh boy I hope I don’t go into too much detail, some of you will know the story but others won’t so I will have to give a bit of the background! Five years ago my friend Lesley died!!! It’s an 8 year long story with many issues and because one of my spiritual gifts is the “gift of mercy” I tried to “rescue” her!!! She was an alcoholic and of course suffered many ailments because of it but also a very heavy smoker! Isn’t it ironic it was actually the smoking that would’ve killed her as she developed throat cancer! Even though 4 years prior had been warned to stop smoking because nodules were forming on her larynx! Now it had become cancer and she was told by the specialist that her best option would be to go to the UK for treatment but unfortunately her family was not prepared to help in any way which left me with the burden but I was unable to send her there, so her only other option was to go to Harare for tests and scans and then a 7 week period of radio and chemo therapy! Now if you’re not from Zim you WILL not understand this part of the story….it was at the time when we went through cash shortages and hyper inflation (not at its peak crisis but it was still drastically limited!) and you could only withdraw a certain amount of cash a day! Les had her appointment in Harare for Friday and I had booked her on AirZim for Thursday but was only able to withdraw enough cash for one (everything at that time had to be paid in cash!) I sent her off on her own!!! Now also if you have never known an alcoholic this also will not make any sense to you!!! Alcoholics have NO control and what I did is the same as giving a 15 year old your car keys….it turned out she skipped her appointment on Friday for her first scan (was at the Holiday Inn drinking instead) then to my utmost horror was told by the radiologist that the fee had now been increased (it had doubled from Friday to Monday) and like I said everything had to be paid in cash upfront! So I ran around like a mad thing withdrawing cash from 4 different banks then depositing it into their bank…faxing the deposit slip to them so she could have the scan that same day...Monday! Well she never made it to that appointment either!!! On the Tuesday…the last time I had spoken to her, she had told me she had got in the way of a fight and had a black eye…I yelled and screamed at her in total frustration…knowing what alcoholics are like and not being there to be able to control the situation!!! Anita, her sister from UK, was the last person to speak to her on Tuesday pm and Les had told her she was dying! On the Wednesday morning I phoned the lodge where she was staying to make sure she would wake up in time for this appointment…long story short they went to wake her but found her dead…she had passed away in the night!!! Whew had to have a bit of a break there!!!!!! I of course was in total shock but immediately made arrangements to go to Harare…to get her burial order so her body could be transported back to Byo (what her family wanted) and while in Harare found out all the facts…I stayed in the same lodge, spoke to everyone that came into contact with her, found out she had been going to the Holiday Inn (only 2 blocks away) and they claimed she had not been in a fight…my conclusion (as the family did not want her to have an autopsy) was that she probably was coming home on Monday night from the Holiday Inn and was mugged and beaten…perhaps rupturing a lung, spleen or the like, causing internal bleeding??? After the initial trauma of everything, her family, the funeral etc. I of course went into mourning and grief but also began a spiral into the pit of guilt and condemnation…you know the “if only’s”!!!! By the way this is a common ailment for anyone facing a death…you WILL go through this but its VERY important not to STAY there!!!! Knowing the principals of this whole letter will help you to get out! I totally blamed myself for not being there with her…this was ALL my own fault…she never would’ve died like that if I had been there!!!! The guilt spiraled into a massive pool of condemnation! Then at the time I was going to Pastor Bothwell’s church (2009), he called me in for a meeting…he said to me the Lord has 3 things He wants to speak to you about!!!! Guess what the very first one was…yes guilt and condemnation!! That day, through a time of prayer and ministry, I was delivered from that debilitating MONSTER GUILT that came right from the very corridors of hell itself!!!!!! Whew was supposed to keep this story short but hey this is the crux of the whole story!!!! What I discovered about guilt and condemnation and the principals of getting out of it, is that you “let it drop”, “let it go”. It is something you have full control over…it is a decision you can make…not like an addiction where you need deliverance as you are not in control and can’t “help yourself”. Then it suddenly dawned on me as I was pondering on this, and I thought hey that is the exact same principal for forgiveness…let me read from the amplified what it says about forgiveness Mark 11:25 “and whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go) (do not keep meditating on it and regurgitating it) in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you…” Matt 6:14 “for if you forgive people their trespasses[(leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Then the penny dropped…ok I know I’m slow…the reason it is the exact same principal as forgiveness is because it is forgiveness!!!! The way to release yourself from guilt and condemnation is to forgive YOURSELF!!!!! The hardest person to forgive is yourself…we are often a lot harder and ridiculously strict on ourselves! But this is the KEY to getting out if it!!! Stop blaming yourself (even if it was your fault), stop bringing it up all the time (regurgitating) and going over and over and over it (meditating). When the pangs of guilt come, like what happened to me this morning, resist them and refuse them claiming all the scriptures about being forgiven (see below), keep saying out loud what God says about you! Refuse to allow this in your life ANYMORE…it is NOT from God but from the pit of hell designed to cripple and DESTROY you…YOU have a CHOICE to let it drop and let it GO and forgive yourself!!!! Claim this scripture right now, lay hold of it by faith and believe what God has said HE WILL DO… 1John 1:9 amp “if we [freely] admit (own up) that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Now freely forgive yourself! One last thing I want to share some things the Lord said to me some years ago…”Shake off the past once and for all, do not partake of it any longer! (a good illustration here is a dog returning to it’s vomit!) Lay a reef there and put it to rest! It is dead and over! Now stand up and shout – shout your victory cry!” “Shake off the past; I do not want you to go there – not for one moment! Jesus has paid the price – don’t insult Him by not accepting that!” (“Honour the Blood” R.T. Kendall). “Undo the knots that tie you to the past – the past is gone, look ahead of you now! Refreshment comes from Me.” “Break free from the past (had a picture of a bunch of men climbing into someone and then that person breaking out free!) I have much planned for you but until you let the past go – I cannot use you!” “Why do you feel that what I have done for you on the cross is not good enough? Don’t allow this to happen, stand up and fight! You have to press on with grit determination. Don’t allow this in your life anymore! It will destroy you and the work I have for you – you must let the past go! I am here to help you.” “If you are “locked” up in the past (could be guilt & condemnation or the death of a loved one) your physical body actually begins to deteriorate & immune systems collapses because you are not growing spiritually. It is impossible to move forward to the next level God has for you if you still have one hand clinging onto the past. Phil 3:13. The past is the biggest enemy to the future! The enemy is afraid of your future & where your are going, so he’ll try to keep you in the past” “Vision, Dreams & Goals: Hab 2:2. Without these you will wonder through life aimlessly. Set goals that will stretch you but that are not impossible. Focus on your strengths. Use imagination & expectation, think, imagine, speak & act your dream. Make a firm decision & commitment to leave the past behind & not go back (like a dog returning to his vomit), as looking back will abort your dreams and visions, lay a reef there & put it to rest! It is dead & over!” S.J. Some other verses that are good to meditate on… Isah 43:25 amp “I, even I, am He Who blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” Isah 44:22 amp “I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Ps 86:5 amp “For You, O Lord, are good, and ready to forgive [our trespasses, sending them away, letting them go completely and forever]; and You are abundant in mercy and loving-kindness to all those who call upon You.” Ps 103:12 amp “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” By the way this is infinite as east and west can never meet!!! Micah 7:19 amp “He will again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” And puts a sign there NO FISHING! “How deep are the oceans that it is virtually impossible to recover wrecks…and because of the enormous pressure they are buried forever, beyond our reach, never to come to the surface again!!! And if that is God’s intention, why not leave them where He has put them and find rest for your souls?” (taken from “Your Bible And You”) And if He has forgotten them, what right do we have to bring them up again????

When I am free from my past, guilt and condemnation are no longer my companions…I am free to live the life He has given me no longer bound but set free!!! And all because of what He did for me on the cross!!! He has taken my burden, He has taken my shame…its no longer mine…I am Free!!! S.J.