Help!!! My Washing Machine Cooked My Clothes!

I woke up one day, quickly  threw my clothes into the washer and turned on the machine. Then I opened the door of my refrigerator, pulled out a casserole of spaghetti and put it in the microwave oven to heat it up. I started to get ready to go for my economics lecture. Two minutes later I opened the door of the microwave and to my  dismay I  saw soap suds bubbling out. Then I smelt something burning and I  turned to see smoke coming out of my washer. I frantically ran towards it and opened it to find my priced clothes being cooked and burnt. That was  too much for me to take in so I grabbed my bag and left the house.

Next I  ran to my family doctor as I was feeling stressed and confused and instead of treating me, my doctor started giving me a lecture on economics. Feeling disillusioned I went to my  college and upon entering the lecture theatre I saw a long line queuing up in front of my lecturer's desk. My jaws dropped upon seeing my lecturer checking each person with a stethoscope and treating their symptoms.  "Everyone and everything has gone insane," I screamed.  No one and nothing seemed to be doing what they or it was meant to do! 

Does the scenario seem familiar to you? Is it not the same with us my dear brother and sister? Don't we act the same way too? As human beings we are in charge of the vegetation and creatures of the world. Are we doing our part to protect our environment? As Christians we are instructed by Christ to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us and to go the extra mile for others. Are we doing what Christ asked us to do? 

Instead of praying for those who persecute us, instead of blessing those who curse us and instead of doing good to those who hate us, we go about harbouring bitter thoughts about them and group together to talk negatively about what they did. Thus we vent our frustrations but are we doing what we were called to do? Don't we behave like the washer which cooked the clothes?  Why do we complain and gripe so much? Can we turn the night to day or a strand of white hair to black or turn the negative situation around by doing all that? No my friends, not at all. In fact things would only get worse and people would grow apart by our actions, speech and behaviour. We will be championing divisions instead of unity.

Let us reflect for a moment... With us around, are people at ease or are they uptight and uneasy? With us around do they feel peaceful? With us being there in their presence for sometime are they motivated to change for the better or for worse? Yes they may have been in the wrong. Yes they may have done grievous things to hurt us or our community. Yes they may be much older than us or much younger than us but that does not give us the prerogative to act negatively or vehemently; that does not give us the right to accuse them and pass unfair judgement against them. Whoever we may be, we have to obey authority and be submissive to those God has placed above us. They are answerable to God for guiding us.

In the presence of sunlight, wet clothes dry up. In the presence of radiation light, bad cells die. In the same way in our presence, all those who are around us must change and become more like Christ...that is if we have the full measure of Christ dwelling within us. 

If we have Christ dwelling fully in us we will be firm yet loving. We will correct others with love and compassion. We will reprimand when the need arises but after that we will in no way shun them nor cause them to feel little or lower than us but will embrace them with the unconditional love of Christ and we will pray ceaselessly for them. Even in praying, many pray that their will must be done instead of God's will. That is the wrong way of praying. We need to seek God's heart and know that just as He speaks to us and through us, God can  speak to them and through them and therefore we need to also humble ourselves before God and others. A high and mighty attitude is the first step towards a great 'Humpty Dumpty' fall. Many marriages, families and organisations have been sadly divided due to this 'Higher than Thou' attitude. 

There is no age limit to do what is asked of us by Christ. "Anyone who has not sinned throw the first stone," said Jesus...But now I tell you, "Anyone who has the full measure of Christ in you, forgive first, love unconditionally first and pray for those who rebel, for those who curse you and persecute you, first!" 

In John 13:35 Jesus says, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have (genuine, unconditional) love for one another."

Here are 7 important questions we need to ask ourselves:-

1. Am I doing what I was created to do?

2. (If you are a Christian) As a Christian am I fulfilling the 'Great Commission' of Christ?

    (If you aren't a Christian) As a human being am I working towards building a close relationship with God my Creator?

3. Am I a blessing to those around me?

4. Am I inspiring others to be what they were created to be?

5. Am I touching lives and moulding positive character traits in others?

6. Am I working towards leaving a legacy behind for others to emulate?

7. Is my life pleasing to God?

Let us make the first move to pray, to forgive, to love and to embrace. The Holy Spirit will make the changes we expect to see in our family, in our children, in our spouse, in our leaders, in our subordinates and in our organisation... Let me now go and check on  my washer and my microwave oven...ha ha...

Mary Augustine

Yummy, Juicy, Desirable Fruit...

What makes a person feel good? What makes him feel bad? If a man appears clean before his boss & his boss trusts him with the company & it's shares, the man feels happy & proud that he is being trusted although behind the boss's back, he mishandles the company's shares & misuses the company's assets. Since the boss does not know about it the boss thinks he is good & this man too thinks he is good in the eyes of his boss.

Once the boss finds out that he has been cheating & using the company's assets  without  his knowledge & confronts this two timer, this man feels terrible.  He feels bad & he apologizes to his boss.

What makes him feel bad? Was he convicted of his wrong doing? Was he repentant that he did something wrong & did he resolve never to do it again? No, in actual fact the reason he appears to be sorrowful is because the boss found out, because while the boss was unaware that he was cheating he felt good although he himself knew that he was doing something wrong. He only felt bad when the boss found out. Therefore that is not real repentance.

There are some our there, whose hearts are so hardened that they behave as if they have no concience. They continue to do what they like & want to do, despite the consequences of their actions. If a man lives like this, he has to be truly afraid of the eternal consequences he would face after his earthly life.

Yet again there are those self righteous ones who think that they are doing it all right. They go around telling others what they are doing wrong without examining their own thoughts, words & actions. To these people, all Jesus has to say is, "Remove the log from you own eye first!" If a man lives this way, he has to check himself, repent for modelling the wrong behavior to others & begin to walk with Christ before he guides others.

People in authority have alot to answer God for. They have to model after Christ, be humble, be aware that those under them are watching them & lead those under their authority with love, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, firmness & a non-judgemental attitude. They have to remember that they can only guide but that it is the Holy Spirit Who convicts each heart & brings it to repentance. Every man in authority has a duty to pray unceasingly for every subordinate of his. 

Jesus says, "Do not judge, for you will be judged with the same measure with which you judge others!" Wow, that is a pretty hard saying isn't it? Well every man must remember that he is fallible & know the difference between correcting to lead someone to Christ & correcting to judge & condemn. When the difference is clearly demarked he will be able to guide others gently to Christ, with unconditional love, unwavering willingness & without prejudice. To repent for one's own mistakes & to lead others into true repentance is not an easy process. As I mentioned in my earlier paragraph, it is only by the Holy Spirit that one can be truly convicted & be brought to repentance. Therefore every Spirit filled Christian  must pray for all those around them daily. 

Real repentance is when one is sincerely sorry for one's wrongs & resolves before God never to do it again. He must be really, really sorry for hurting an all loving God, invite the Holy Spirit in & ask Him to convict him of every wrong & change him from within.Only when he is sincerely sorry & surrenders himself to the leading of the Spirit of God will he have a change of heart & a change of character. Only then will he be able to walk in the steps of Christ.

Our character is tested in many ways from our birth. Someone who wants to be a doctor will have to sit for the MBBS exam. One who wants to become a lawyer must sit for the LLB exam but one who needs to know how to operate a crane need only to sit for a written and practical test to operate it. One who is needed to be a domestic helper need only to pass the practical test of housekeeping & cleanliness & a written test of simple coversational  English. Likewise when an individual is chosen by God to work for Him by touching the lives of those around him in the world, to bring God's kingdom to the people, he will be put through various kinds of tests which will eventually determine his character & render him fit or unfit for the special mission which God had intended him for.

Every person has to go through these tests in his live. The result is entirely dependant upon his relationship with God and the measure with which he has surrendered his life & desires to his Creator. One cannot fake it cause it will show in his life.

An orange tree cannot say that it is an apple tree because when the fruit comes out all will know that it is an orange tree. Jesus says that by our fruit all will know whom we belong to, God or the devil.

So in these end days, let us not harden our hearts & pretend that we are OK. Let us not be self righteous & judgemental & condemn people to hell. Let us not be passive and live worldly promiscuous lives, but truly repent. Repent, not because someone has found out about our wrongdoings but because we have not acted rightly before a righteous God; because we have hurt Him so badly, Him Who gave His life for us so that we would be saved.

Let us truly repent & conform our thoughts, words & actions to God's Word. Let us invite God's Spirit Who is the Holy Spirit to live in us & to change us & make us worthy vessels of the Holy Trinity & worthy to go to heaven, our eternal home.

Let us live with a renewed mind & heart so that we will have a godly character & produce the fruit of the Spirit & lead all those around us to God our Father through Christ His Son with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Come on now...let us be producers of the yummy, juicy & desirable fruit! Yes it is fruit and not fruits! One fruit of the Spirit with 9 character traits! That is why, in the image below you see only one tree which produces one fruit but with many colours which represent the different character traits. 

God bless you all.

Mary Augustine. 

Who is God to you and me?

Who is God to you? It depends on how much you seek Him, how much you need Him and how much you know Him.

God is the Creator of the planets, the world, the moon , the sun and the stars. He is the Creator of the plants and the creatures on earth. He is the Creator of all heavenly beings. Simply put, He is the Author of all Creation.

God is not only the Creator but He is also the Sustainer of all His Creation. The planets, the moon, the sun and the stars hang on in nothingness in space without crashing into one another and without falling down. The air around the earth has the right amount of oxygen for the vegetation, the creatures and us human beings to inhale and live. There is the right amount of gravity on earth to keep us and everything from floating into space. Yes God truly is the Sustainer. He never sleeps nor slumbers.

Nothing and no one can exist without God. The planets know that and obey Him. The creatures know that and obey Him. Man is the only creature who seems to know it but goes about his affairs as if he created God.

All creatures have five senses, the sense of hearing, the sense of seeing, the sense of speaking, the sense of feeling emotions and finally the sense of touch. Only man has an extra sense; the sixth sense which is the sense of thinking. All creatures with the exception of man, move and operate on instincts. Only man has the ability to think and reason out his thoughts.

Being an intelligent creature, man sadly, oftentimes treats God like a plaster. One does not think about a plaster when he is alright. He only searches for it when he has a wound to nurse and patch up. Likewise he turns to God only when he is in trouble.

At times man thinks of God as a vending machine. When he puts in coins he gets what he specifically wants. Likewise he expects to throw up a prayer and get what he specifically wants from God. When he does not receive answers to his prayers he rants and raves and throws verbal punches at God, just as he would punch the vending machine to see if a can of drink will drop out.

At other times, he treats God as a policeman. He will keep all the laws and avoid getting into trouble. He does not step in the way of the policeman and also does not have a need to have a relationship with him. He is a proud citizen who keeps law and order and condemns the law breakers.  Likewise he tries to keep all the commandments rigidly to avoid going to hell. He is happy and proud of his uprightness and is unable to tolerate someone who breaks the commandments. Otherwise he has no personal relationship with God.

Man also treats God as a jackpot machine. He takes a gamble by putting all the money he can get hold of and puts it in expecting to get lucky and strike rich. Even after losing several times, he tries again and again to try his luck. But eventually when he loses all his money and possessions he goes into deep depression. Likewise when he expects God to work a miracle in his life, and when the miracle does not occur he still keeps going back faithfully several more times to receive a miracle. When the miracle does not happen he gets disillusioned, blames God and gives up his belief in God. This happens because he does not have a relationship with God.

Only a man who realizes that he cannot live without God just as he cannot live without oxygen, only a man who realizes that he cannot be refreshed without God just like he cannot be refreshed without water and only a man  who understands the importance of building up his relationship with God just as he builds up his relationship with his beloved will be able to live in a totally blissful state without fear, with complete trust in God.

He will seek God at all times praise and worship Him. He will be so close to God that he will train his ears to hear God's voice. He will train his eyes to see like God sees. He will train His heart to feel as God feels. His prayer will not be selfish nor manipulative. He will pray for his needs but will spend more time praying for others and interceeding for lost souls. He will pray for miracles but will be able to abide in Him and trust him till the miracle happens in God's time. He will be able to accept God's will and respect God's timing even if no miracles occur. God's Word will be his daily bread. He will not leave home without feeding his soul.

To this man, God is not a plaster, not a vending machine, not a policeman and not a jackpot machine. God becomes real. A person with Whom he can have constant and continuous relationship with. God becomes the oxygen for his body, soul and spirit without Whom he can never ever live.

Who is God to you and me? Let us reflect!

Mary Augustine
     03/06/14

Confession...Why...? & What to...?

Positive confession, that is, 'The Confession of God's Word', is of great importance to every individual. Let me reiterate the importance of confessing God's Word upon our lives daily.

The Bible says that the Sword of the Spirit is a double edged sword and that, it is The Word of God. (Hebrews 4:12 & Ephesians 6:17)
In the Gospel of John in Chapter 1, we read that, [1] In the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God and The Word was God.[2]He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (NIV)
In Genesis we see that God spoke the Word and created the entire universe. Again in the Gospel of John we see His Word coming forth and being made flesh, Jesus, the Son of God. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 55:11 says that 'So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.' Here we see that, when God speaks His Word, it will not go back to Him without fulfilling what it was sent to do. The Bible also says the God's Word is Spirit and Truth.
Jesus said, “The [Holy]Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for noth­ing. The words I have spo­ken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63)

The Bible (God’s Word) is rad­i­cally dif­fer­ent than any other book in the entire world, sec­u­lar or sacred. It is alive as the Holy Spirit of God speaks to us through it. “For the word of God is liv­ing and active.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Therefore when we speak out the Word of God, which was first spoken by God Himself, the Word written down by people inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Word authored by God Himself, it will prosper our souls, bring us healing and it will make us whole.

A sword used in battle will only be a powerful weapon to exterminate the enemy when both the edges are razor sharp. Likewise, God's Word becomes extremely  powerful to completely  invalidate the enemy's attacks on our lives and crush it under our feet, only when we confess God's promises aloud over our lives and our loved ones' lives, in faith. Remember the Word of God says that, 'In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;' Ephesians 6:16 (English Standard Version)

Let us do it as often as possible. Take up the authority which has been given unto us by Jesus Himself. He said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke10:19 KJV

Remember that as long as God's Word (Bible) is kept on our shelves, it just remains as a single edged sword. For it to function as a razor sharp, double edged sword we must confess it often, aloud over our lives.

The Secret of a Successful Fulfilled Life.

To live a wholesome life everyone knows that we must be healthy and strong both physically and emotionally. To ensure that we operate at our optimum we do best what we know how.

We read up on what to eat, on how to keep fit, on how to be successful in life, on how to make money and be financially stable and on how to make our relationships work. Our resources are spent mostly on the pursuit of our success and happiness.

When we are successful we get a sense of achievement and we take pride in what we have done.  We depend mostly on ourselves, our knowledge, our abilities  and our resources, failing which on others. Very sadly, in our youth we think that we know everything and that we do not need any parental advice. When all our efforts fail we discuss with elders and like minded friends and tap on their experiences and knowledge.

Where is God in all this? What part does He play? Except for atheists we all know that there is a God Who created us and Who sustains us. Yes we have a vague knowledge of Him and He is kept at the back of our minds and we turn to Him as the very last resort, when we know that no one on earth can help us. Even then, some turn to other supernatural sources, spirits and mediums before surrendering to God.

Many wait till they are in deep trouble or they lose their loved ones or they are financially broke or critically ill before they turn to the Almighty. God does help even when we turn to Him as the last resort, but why wait till then? We may say that we must stand on our own feet and be independent first and we may even say that God helps those who help themselves, but sadly that is very wrong thinking.

As human beings, we are helpless without God. We need Him. That is why we are us and He is God, the Almighty. Happy is the man who depends totally on God to mould him and lead him every step of the way. A successful person is one who develops and builds a deep and intimate  relationship with God.

We Christians are fortunate that we have a Saviour in Christ Jesus; God Who became man for our sake to show us how to live and attain salvation; the God-Man Who took the sins of the entire world past, present and future, upon Himself and won us, victory over sin, sickness, Satan and spiritual death. All we have to do is believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord and  Saviour and look to Him for direction.

We have a Success Manual (the Bible) and it is full of instructions on how to live a happy, healthy and successful life. We are told that if we put our trust in God we will be blessed.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.(Jeremiah 17:7-9)
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. (Psalms 40:4)
O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:12 NKJV)
"But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.(Jeremiah 17:7 NLT)

Then we are told that not only must we put our trust in God, but that we must seek Him first, above all else.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

What will be added to us when we seek God first? Yes, we will have success, financial stability, health and good relationship with everyone, added to us when we do the following:-
1.  Acknowledge that we are nothing and we can do nothing by ourselves.
2.  Surrender our lives and our desires and our plans to God.
3.  Let God mould us and use us.
4.  Submit to God's leading and authority.
5.  Spend quiet time with God daily to get our lives recharged and to seek His will for our lives.

Wise is the man who does this early in his life. Foolish is he who tries all else first, because he will be extinguishing all his resources due his stubbornness of heart. But still, even if we go crawling to Him , He is always there with extended arms to forgive us and to receive us and help us. 

The Lord of angel armies is waiting for you. He is waiting to lead you to sure success and fulfillment. Will you seek Him first today?

Under Pressure to fulfill your Pleasure?

What kind of pressures do we face today? There are three kinds of pressures :
1) one that shapes us
2) one that breaks us
3) finally one that is sweet yet fatal.

A little of the first kind of pressure is good because it means we are being shaped into the likeness of our Saviour eg. Pressure to complete datelines or to be in places on time would force us to plan well ahead. Pressure to meet people and mingle in their company for long periods would teach us to be understanding, compassionate, non-judgemental and forgiving. Pressure to get well, would teach us to eat healthily, moderately and live healthy lifestyles. These, I would deem are good pressures. All we have to do is surrender to God completely, in humility and remain pliable in His hands so that He can mould us and use us to bring His Kingdom into the lives of people of this world.

Pressures of the second kind occur through no fault of ourselves. It happens when others pressurize us to do something not right. This kind can be overcome or even avoided  through constant prayer and meditation.  Whenever we are pressurized by others to do something we know is not right or something against God's will for us, we have to constantly remind ourselves of the following words of God, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13) Then we must make the bold step of rebuking binding, casting out and praying against the principalities and powers in Jesus'mighty name. We must also not let these pressures weigh us down but have faith in Him who has promised that no weapon forged against us will ever prosper...Isaiah 54:17. After praying we must confidently pursue what is right and just, without fearing and without yielding to such pressures.

Finally the third kind of pressure is the most sweetest but deadliest. It is the pressure to fulfill one's pleasures without thinking of the consequences. We see in the Old Testament that Esau traded the lasting rewards of his birthright with the immediate pleasures of food. He showed complete disregard for the spiritual benefits that would have come his way, had he kept his birthright. He acted on impulse without considering the eternal consequences. Like him we may be pressurized into following our own impulses to satisfy the immediate needs of our flesh like food, sex etc.  When we see sumptuous food the health aspects may not seem important to us. Some even say, "I will die eating, what I want to eat!" When we feel sexual pressure, the pressure to fulfill sexual urges, a marriage vow may seem unimportant and for those already married, adultery will seem all too permissible. Therefore to avoid falling into the trap of being pressurized into fulfilling our pleasures, Jesus tells us to watch and pray.

Matthew 26:41 NIV
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He also teaches us how to pray in the 'Lord's Prayer,'
Matthew 6:13 NIV
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’

We are constantly reminded to  humbly submit ourselves to God and resist the devil. Only when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us. Until then he will pursue us and be on our heels.
King James Bible
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7

When the Word of God tells us to renew our minds, it means constant renewal, to do it constantly and consistently, not once, not twice and not even three times, but all the time. How do we do it? Well, we are to  read and meditate on God's Word everyday and be soaked, marinated, fully immersed in His Word and let His Word transform our thinking. we are to bring our every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Then we are to dwell on pure, lovely, righteous, reputable, excellent and praiseworthy thoughts at all times. Below are the four key Scripture references for the renewal of the mind.

First Verse for Renewing the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Second Verse for Renewing the Mind
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Third Verse for Renewing the Mind
Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

Fourth Verse for Renewing the Mind
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Therefore my sisters and brothers in Christ, let us pray for Wisdom and do what we are told to do in God's instruction manual (bible) to avoid falling into the trap of  acting on our impulses to fulfill our immediate and fleeting pleasures while disregarding the consequences and losing our eternal rewards in heaven.

God be with you always.
Mary Augustine.

Abide in Christ and Soar to Greater Heights with Him!

Sunday Feb 16, 2014

God wants to bring us from glory to glory. He wants to bring us from where we are to where He wants us to be. He wants to raise our level; our level of understanding, our level of maturity, our level of endurance, our level of complete dependence upon Him.

To do that He needs our cooperation. He wants the total surrender of ourselves, of all we have and all we are. He wants us to let go of our fears and embrace His unconditional love. He wants us to soar with Him, above all the circumstances of our lives so that He can bring us to greater heights.

Remember :-

Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

We have to, 'Know who we are in Christ Jesus'.

Only then can we receive all that He has prepared for us, all the abundant treasures, stored in heaven's storehouses. Just name it, He has it. It is ours for the taking.

Therefore let us first know who we are in Christ Jesus. Next abide in Him to know His heart's desires. Be afraid to hurt an all loving God by our old way of sinful living. Finally seek to fulfill His Will in our lives with perseverance. All the time remain in constant communion with the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Develop an intimate relationship with God. Then we will soar with Him, high up above, to greater heights and will glorify God in our day to day living.

Let us glorify our Lord together!