Are we in the Last Days?

Are we in the last days? 

Yes, we definitely are! 

Jesus Himself tells us what are the signs to look out for in Matthew 24:3-14 NIV

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” [4] Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. [5] For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. [6] You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. [7] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. [8] All these are the beginning of birth pains. [9] “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. [10] At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, [11] and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. [12] Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, [13] but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. [14] And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

2 Timothy 3:1-5,7, NIV says :-

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. [7] always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

Yes, we see the world upside down now. What was unthinkable before, is being practised today so liberally.

For example take a look at this ridiculous recent happening:-

"A parent has filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to overturn laws barring incestuous practice so that they can marry their adult child.

The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court on 1 April, and is asking for a judge to declare incest laws “unconstitutional” so that a parent can marry their offspring in a New York City ceremony, according to documents obtained by the New York Post." This parent wants to remain anonymous. 

Can you believe it? I cannot!

We see this and many more horrendous unthinkable practises being practised these days in the name of 'Human Rights'! 

The Bible refers to these times as 'Similar to the times of Noah, before the flood'. 

Noah was ridiculed when he warned the people. Nowadays

many Christians get persecuted for telling people the Truth about God and warning them.of the consequences of a sinful life.

2 Timothy 3:12-13 NIV rightly tells us that:- 

[12] In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, [13] while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Oh yes, we see a lot of these, these very days. All these have become so common worldwide. Sin is glorified and God is almost forgotten if not denied completely.

We, who are the children of God and co-heirs of Jesus Christ must remain rooted in Jesus our vine. We must spend quiet time with our Saviour, Lord and God daily and read and re-read the Bible which is God's own Word written down for us to obey.

The Holy Spirit, through Paul tells us in  2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV, that:-

 [16] All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, [17] so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

My dear family and friends, let's take heart that while we see all these happening everywhere, the time of Christ's coming to take away His Bride, which is the Church,(you and me, who are truly born again) is very, very, very near. Once the rapture happens those left behind will be deceived and then the Father's wrath will be poured upon this earth.

Read the rest of Matthew 24:15-51 to know what will happen after the rapture. The gap between vs 14 and vs 15 of Matthew 24 is 'God's Mercy Time'!

Meanwhile, while there is still time let us be fully equipped with God's Word in our hearts and let us teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness, all who do not know Jesus, all who are backsliding, all who are neither hot nor cold, all who are lost, even if we are persecuted.

Let us be like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures day and night, live in the Truth and point everyone to Jesus. 

We still have unsaved loved ones and loved ones who are living a compromised life with this world, who WILL NOT be raptured with us. What should we do about them? We must not have the 'as long as I am saved, it is fine' attitude. That attitude is akin to, you running out of your house which just caught fire and you are standing outside happily exclaiming, "Thank God I am saved! I escaped the fire," while your spouse and children are still inside the burning house. 

1) Let us be compassionate towards them and warn them.

Let us warn them of the impending danger of being left behind in the times of tribulation.

2) Let us practise Longsuffering and witness to them and not get burned-out. 

Witness to them about Jesus and teach them about the rapture and the dangers of being left behind during the time of God's wrath, without getting burned-out. Ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh anointing and power to never give up witnessing until every soul is saved.

3) Let us pray unceasingly for them and give our eyes no rest. 

Rapture will happen anytime soon. The time we now have, is borrowed time; the time of God's mercy upon all who are lukewarm, lost and unsaved. Let us not waste one moment of it but toil and pray till our very last breath for them. Ask Father God to open their eyes so that they will see the Truth and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and live in obedience to Him. Let us ask Father God to give them the gift of faith to believe in the finished works of Christ Jesus. Only Father God can do that. Let us pray for them day and night without rest.

With much love and prayers

Mrs Mary Augustine

13th July 2021

 

Urgent Call to All Watchmen & Prayer Warriors!

My dear Prayer Warriors and Watchmen of the Lord, I earnestly ask you to read this and be aware of all who are blind to God's Truth, seek them out, pray for them and lead them to Jesus/back to Jesus.  Souls are being lost in the millions. It is time we arise and march forward to claim back the souls that belong to Jesus. 

First we need to identify what is Spiritual Blindness. Let's look at physical blindness first to draw a parallel.

What is blindness? 

According to  Wikipedia, 

"Blindness is the inability to see anything, including light.

If you’re partially blind, you have limited vision. 

Complete blindness means you can’t see at all.

Legal blindness refers to vision that’s highly compromised. What a person with regular vision can see from 200 feet away, a legally blind person can see from only 20 feet away.

Seek medical attention right away if you suddenly lose the ability to see. Have someone bring you to the emergency room for treatment. Don’t wait for your vision to return.

Depending on the cause of your blindness, immediate treatment may increase your chances for restoring your vision. Treatment may involve surgery or medication."

The above refers to 'Physical Blindness'! What if you are 'Spiritually Blind'?

In the spiritual realm there are those who are legally blind, partially blind and those who are completely blind just as in the physical realm. 

Spiritual Blindness is the inability to see, believe and understand any of God's Truth and Message; Who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

Let us examine each here below.

A. Complete Spiritual Blindness

Complete Spiritual Blindness is when a person is completely unable to comprehend the truth about God, about Jesus and the Salvation of mankind even when someone clearly explains it to him. 

It is like describing a white swan on a bluish green, calm lake against a clear blue sky to a person born blind. The colours white, blue and green, and swan, lake and sky, would be foreign to him. They would make no sense.

This person will need an experienced surgeon to help him see, and there is no other finer, surgeon than our Master, Creator God Himself. 

Only God in His divine mercy and grace can help this person see, understand and know the Truth. For that, we as a body of Christ, must pray. It is our responsibility to pray for all who are completely blind spiritually and ask Father God to remove the scales from their eyes. 

B. Partial Spiritual Blindness

This is a person who wants to see but is unable to see clearly therefore is unable to understand and even believe the truth about God. He sees glimpses of the truth and has shadows of doubts. He sees as a physically partially blind person would see.

Telling this person to go and find out more about Christianity or about Jesus is like telling a physically partially blind person to walk towards someone who is at a distance by himself. To him all those at a distance will be blur and seem like walking trees. 

He will need a mentor who will walk with him and teach him the basics of Christianity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The mentor has to make him ask questions and help clear his doubts. This mentor will have to pray for him and pray with him asking Father God to open his mind and give him understanding. God will be his Master Surgeon and remove the scales from his eyes. 

Finally like a nurse who takes care of the newly operated patient until he can clearly see after the operation, the mentor must care spiritually for this person. When his eyes are opened and he has accepted Jesus with his whole heart, the mentor, with the help of the Holy Spirit, must walk through with him, discipling him until he becomes a mature Christian.

C. Legal Spiritual Blindness

Let us recollect what physical legal blindness is and what one must do.

1) Legal blindness refers to vision that’s highly compromised. 

2) A  person with regular vision can see from 200 feet away, a legally blind person can only see the same thing from 20 feet away.

3) Seek medical attention right away if you suddenly lose the ability to see. 

4) Have someone bring you to the emergency room for treatment. 

Don’t wait for your vision to return.

Does this seem similar to a person who once could see the truth of Christ Jesus, accepted Him as his Lord and Saviour, was infilled by the Holy Spirit, then began to compromise heavily with the world and suddenly became spiritually legally blind?

It begins like this:-

1) This person who was and is a believer, compromises with the world very heavily. He 

does what unbelievers do, he speaks like them, acts like them and agrees with them in worldly matters. 

2) But according to him, he is still saved; still a believer. He says He will not give up Jesus for anything in this world. But his actions and words differ. He sees things differently than before. His vision of Jesus which was 200/200 is now 20/200. His biblical views have gotten blurred by his association with and his desires for the things of this world. For him now, anything goes. He thinks he has to accept the religious views of others without telling them to come to Jesus. He thinks they will accept Jesus one day and that does not seem urgent or a priority for him. He thinks that he has to be tolerant of others and accept their views. He thinks that if they are good and do good they will go to heaven. He has surrounded himself with friends who are of this world. He just does not want to offend any of them. He is very wise in worldly matters and focuses mainly on it. Spirituality has taken a back step and it is not of a main concern for him now. In short, he is sitting on the fence; is neither hot nor cold. 

What does Jesus say about such a person?

He says in Revelation 3:16

"...because you are lukewarm---neither hot nor cold---I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Isn't that scary? This person who once was in Jesus, will be spat out. That means He will be cast away from Jesus. 

3) Next, the one who is legally blind is told to, "Seek medical attention right away, without delay if you suddenly lose the ability to see." Therefore this person must seek spiritual help right away. 

4) How would he do it if he himself is not bothered or is mesmerised by or consumed with the cares of this world? He needs other faithful believers to bring him to Jesus for 'emergency treatment'. 

He needs prayer warriors to pray for him, to tell him the truth and about the consequences of his compromised life and gently guide him back to faithfulness to Jesus. He needs watchmen to watch him and get him to come down from the fence and be on fire for Christ Jesus. He cannot wait for his spiritual vision to return by himself. He needs us intercessors, who are the prayer warriors to faithfully pray for him in the 'Emergency Treatment Room' which is our prayer closet. God our Master Surgeon will take over from there.

Watchmen, Prayer Warriors Arise!

Where are the Watchmen of today? Where are the Prayer Warriors? We need to stand on the wall and lookout for the spiritually blind, whether they are completely blind, partially blind or legally blind. We must go on our knees and pray for them, seek them out and lead them to Jesus. They need us, more so now in these perilous times when the world is so corrupted! Let us hear the voice of our Father saying to us as He said to Isaiah long ago,  Isaiah 6:8 NIV

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

And...let us reply as Isaiah did. Let us Arise & Go Forth Now!

Dear family & friends, if you are those who are spiritually legally blind, if you have compromised with the world, just know the heart of Jesus. He loves you. That is why He is calling out to you. He is giving you a loving warning. Take heed and please come back to Him. Stop compromising with the world. You need to be different and shine the Light of Christ Jesus. God our Father will first warn His children like a loving parent. Then if the children do not obey, to save them from danger, He will discipline His children, just like a devoted parent. 

Do not wait for His discipline because it may be very painful. Jump down now, from the fence into the loving arms of Jesus. Get back to reading the Bible and meditating on God's Word everyday. Abode in Jesus and bear the fruit of the Spirit, which the Holy Spirit produces in you, faithfully.  Only God's Word can transform you. Only His Holy Spirit can refine you with His holy fire and make you shine like gold and Jesus will clothe you with His righteous white robe and apply His salve on your eyes and help you not to lose your sight again. Return oh beloved, with the Holy Spirit's empowering fire in your hearts to do the will of the One Who gave His life for you. Hear Jesus knocking at your heart's door. Open the door now! Do not delay! Heed His call before it is too late!

Let us visit the passage where Jesus lovingly warns his beloved and let's reflect on it:-

Revelation 3:14-22 NIV

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. [15] I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [16] So, because you are lukewarm---neither hot nor cold---I am about to spit you out of my mouth. [17] You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. [19] Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. [20] Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. [21] To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. [22] Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

When we repent and return to Him, He awaits with a reward. 

Prayer Warriors and Watchmen, we have a huge responsibility to watch and pray always; not only for our families, not only for our loved ones but for all around us, in our neighborhood, in our nation and in this world. Let us be faithful to our calling. Let us stand in the gap and plead for each soul and never give our eyes rest until these souls return to Jesus. Let us be an Ezra and a Nehemiah today! This I pray in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. 

I pray that Father God will lead His chosen ones, to read this and abide in Jesus and arise with a passion for Jesus!

Blessings 

Mrs Mary Augustine

7th July 2021

How to stay afloat and be truly successful when life's pressures seem to suffocate and drown you

Want to stay afloat and be truly successful even when under pressure? Then read and abide by this.

Man pursues success all his life. It is the only thing the world recognises. In the course of the pursuit of success, some make it but many drown. Even those who make it, eventually succumb to weariness and get burnt out. Some may seem victorious, successful, happy and contended in the eyes of this world till the end, but only when you dig into their lives, will you see the amount of heartaches, uncertainties and fear of the unknown they held in their hearts when they breathed their last. That shows that they have been hiding behind the mask of worldly success.

Work pressure and workload is endless and will pile up endlessly. Whether you are a CEO of a company or a table cleaner in a restaurant, it is the same. This pressure is caused by the need to earn and survive. Over the course of time this need to survive evolves into the need to be and become someone of status in this world. That need in turn evolves into the need to please people in order to be liked and to be popular, the need to acquire material goods and stay on top of the ladder and the economic status. This is a never ending cycle of human beings.  

The only way to climb up and sit on top of it all and manage it with ease, is with Jesus. Without Christ Jesus everyone who claims to know it all and be it all and have it all, will crash land and be buried under the mountain load of the pile of stressful situations and work.

Relaxation is pursed by everyone under pressure and also by those not under it. It is good. But again without Jesus, it will lead and lure you into the endless pursuit of the pleasures of the world and of the flesh.

To my Christian brothers and sisters I plead:-

Never let your hearts grow cold to the matters of God and your soul.

Do not let the fire of the Holy Spirit which ignited your hearts once with passionate love for Jesus wane off or die. 

The world and its endless pleasures and our endless life's pursuits scream out for our attention daily. Once we enter that forest of no return alone, we are bound to be lost in it, unless we enter in with Jesus. He, our Saviour, is the only One, Who will lead us and help us pursue and achieve true success and what is best for our eternal gain. He will help us, who are in this world but "are not of the world" (Jn 17:16) come out unscathed. Jesus prayed for us to Father God, asking Him to protect us in Jn 17:15,16. He still stands before Father God as our only mediator. 

When you wake up, run to Him. Surrender yourself and every member of your family to Him. Fill your mind with Scripture verses. They are food for our souls. Just as you yearn to eat delicious and healthy food for your body, learn to savour the energising and life giving Word of God daily. Meditate on God's Word daily. Throughout the day as you pursue your daily duties and relaxations bring Jesus with you. Acknowledge His presence and include Him in every plan of yours. Ask Him if what you are doing and planning  is pleasing in Father God's sight!  Never plan or do anything which is opposed to God's desire, although it may seem wonderful to you. At the end of each day, take time to reflect on all that has happened and see if you have offended God in anyway by doing something against His will or by not doing something which He desired. Repent and ask the Holy Spirit for help to not repeat, whatever displeased Father God, the following day. Make this routine a daily affair. 

If you are too busy and do not have the time for whatever I mentioned above, then my dear, you are in the danger zone. The pressures of this world are ever so subtle. They will lure you in with their tantalizing methods and suffocate you once you are submerged. Ego, arrogance, greed, jealousy, self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, fear of men, fear of losing, fear of the unknown, fear of everything (except fear of God which is the only good fear), stress, confusion, anger, bitterness, hatred, depression, suicidal tendencies, are just some of the many fruits of, the venturing out on your own in this world.

The only hand that will pull you out completely from this cesspool, is the hand of Jesus. Yes, many other hands will want to pull you out; worldly motivations and worldly counseling. Albeit, these will bring you on a winding path and confuse you even more and lead you back to where you were.  Learn to recognise the Hand of Jesus. To do that, you need to really 'Know' Jesus. 

There are numerous motivational books and counselors in this world. All these take some of the biblical principles, insert some worldly principles and twist it to seem to help you. You may be amazed to see that what these counselors tell you seem to be biblically sound. You may notice that some methods vary but they seem sound. Only in the end you will find out that you are where you began and need to go back to them again for counseling. That will become a scary nightmare for you if you are not rooted in Christ Jesus and His teachings.  

Many counselors themselves need counseling. Many of them have lost their bearings along the way. Many have gone through the worst nightmares, gone through divorces  and lost their families. Why? Through the course of counseling others, they themselves need someone higher, more knowledgeable and powerful than them to hold their hand and help them maneuver through the maze, unscathed. That Someone is Jesus and many do not know that or very sadly do not accept that Truth!

What does this show? There is no better way than God's own Way; Jesus, the Bible, God's Word and it's timeless methods to 'be in this world but not be of this world'!

Ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle the fire in your heart to pursue Jesus passionately if you have lost it. Feed on His Word and meditate on it, chew it, ruminate it, drink of it's fresh essence, let it nourish your body, soul and spirit. 

Psalm 55:22 NIV

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Isaiah 41:10,13 NIV

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. [13] For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As you do this, know that I have prayed for God's mercy and grace upon you dear reader. Please stay obedient to God's Word and be rooted in Christ Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit Who is our personal Counselor.

Love you much

Mrs Mary Augustine

5th July 2021 

The Reality of Common Christian Persecution & The Difference between Persecution and God's Conviction.

What is Christian Persecution? 

How should we react when that happens?

When one thinks of Christian persecution, the picture of Christians being tortured  for evangelization or for not rejecting Christ comes to mind. Grim pictures of men kneeling down with their heads covered and then either shot mercilessly or beheaded by terrorists seem to come before our eyes the very moment we think of Christian persecution. Or the pictures of pastors who do not agree to bless gay marriages or bakers who do not agree to bake wedding cakes for gay wedding parties and are thrown into jail come to our mind.

We seldom give thought to our daily lives and what we go through everyday. When we as born again believers live out our Christian life as commanded by Jesus, that is, when we bear the fruit of the spirit in our lives, the first thing most of us get is a sacarstic remark or an accusing comment. These usually come from those close to us, either our own family members or our co-workers. 

Here are a few examples:-

1. When one refrains from laughing at a coarse/sacarstic joke - "Oh there goes holy Joe!"

2. When one refrains from joining in coarse immoral joking sessions or gossip sessions - "Wah, she thinks she is so perfect lah!"

3. When one stands firm on the biblical principles and refuses to do business in an unethical way or refuses to be tolerant of sinful practices - "He is so useless. We cannot progress in our business dealings with him in our company. Let him go. OR  He is not tolerant at all. Thinks he is always right!"

4. When one happens to be using his mobile to spread God's Word on social meadia, to send prayers to someone urgently in need of prayers and encouragement  - "Look at him! I know he is wasting his time on his mobile!"

5. When one completes her office work and hands it in to her boss on time - "See she is trying to win the boss' favour."

6. When one is doing his usual one hour quiet time in the morning and his loved ones are not saved yet - "Why are you wasting so much time on your prayers? Doesn't God know what you want? Just pray for ten minutes and go and do something useful!"

7. When some misfortune/ailment befalls a person - "Oh he must have done something wrong. No wonder God is punishing him."

The list can go on and on. It is endless. It usually happens when others misunderstand our good intentions, they are jealous of us or they assume the worse about us and/or gossip about us. It can also happen, when the beliefs we stand for, as Christians and the beliefs of those around us are in conflict. 

These types of cutting, accusing, judgemental, sacarstic and untrue  remarks  will actually put us on the defensive. We will feel miserable. We will want to retort back and defend ourselves. When this happens, we must remember the following verses from God's Word.

 Isaiah 54:17 NIV

no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. 

Psalm 31:16-20 NIV

Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. [17] Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. [18] Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. [19] How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. [20] In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. 

( There are many other encouraging verses in the Bible which tell us that God will never let His children down but will come to their rescue. Do check them out.)

These type of remarks usually come at a time when we are doing something right. Not when we used to comply with the world and live like the people of this world.  This is because Satan uses others, especially those who are close to us, to discourage us from abiding in Jesus and bearing fruit. These are the kinds of persecution every Christian who wants to be firmly rooted in Christ usually goes through in their daily lives.

When any such discouraging situation arises, let us just pray, 

" Father God, You know the truth. I trust You to vindicate me. I surrender this situation into Your hands. Help me not to grow bitter towards the one persecuting me. Help me forgive her/him and love her/him with the love of Jesus.  Help this person to truly know Jesus."

Fear not, for God Himself will vindicate us when we abide in Christ Jesus and obey His Word.

Jesus was persecuted and crucified. He asked His Father to forgive His persecutors, from the cross. His apostles were persecuted. Everyone who follows Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We too will be. When that happens let us learn to rejoice and be glad and pray for our persecutors. Let us remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:10-12 NIV

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

How to discern between persecution and the Holy Spirit's  conviction? What must we do?

Having mentioned about Christian persecution I must clarify that not every hurting, sacarstic or accusing remark is from the Satan, through our close ones. 

We must remember that even when we are truly reborn Christians, we are still imperfect human beings in need of sanctification. Sanctification is ongoing till we stop breathing on earth.

Therefore when someone makes a hurting remark,  we need to ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. He will help us to discern if the remark is from Satan, the accuser, to discourage and persecute us, or if it is from Him, the Holy Spirit, to convict us and to bring us to repentance. 

When we are confronted or accused let us examine ourselves and check to see if we are bearing all the fruit of the Spirit in our character. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. If we are lacking in any area, then we will know that it is the Holy Spirit Who is calling us to repentance through someone. 

Conviction of the Holy Spirit comes either as a nudging voice in our heart or through someone else. This someone can be a pastor whose sermon convicts us, an author whose writing convicts us or someone whose remark pricks our hearts. It is these remarks which can be wrongly perceived as persecution if we are not careful. If we are abiding in Jesus we will be able to discern between both easily.

When this happens all we need to do is ask the Holy Spirit to produce that fruit in us, which we lack. Remember, He produces them. We only bear them. If we are lacking in self-control, we need only to ask Him to produce that in our character. He will do it. All we need to do is look out for opportunities to be self-controlled and be in control. 

If we fail we must repent and ask again. As we seriously and faithfully mature in Christ Jesus, bearing the fruit of  the Spirit will be easier for us. If we continuously fail then we may need Father God's firm discipline to bring us to abide in Jesus again. Let's not wait for that kind of discipline. Let us allow ourselves to be moulded and shaped for His glory and sanctified in this season of grace.

Be Blessed 

Mary Augustine

3rd July 2021