Outreach

A group of leaders from wealthy, western churches all over the world met together for a joint mission venture to a small remote orphanage in the mountains of Lesotho. The leaders visited for a week, and during that time they spent much energy out and about, running workshops for local pastors, teaching the way that their churches operated, and why they had so many resources to share. They also spent time playing with the children. They joined in the games with the small children, playing hop scotch in the sand. They sat and read to the older girls who needed help with English lessons for school. They played soccer with the older boys, on a field that was full of holes and on the side of a mountain. On the last day their helicopter arrived and took the church leaders back to civilisation, leaving the orphanage and all of the children behind.

The day after, they were asked to give feedback from the visit. ‘It was sad to see how empty and sad their eyes were. It was like they just needed to feel God’s love, and feel His arms of acceptance. I really hope that we made a real difference during the week,’ said one of the older boys, before sitting back down at the table with the rest of his friends and siblings in his big, loving family in the mountains of Lesotho.

Written by Grant Strugnell

Sometimes We Lose, But That's Okay.

So like, I’ve arrived at that point in my spiritual walk where I’ve decided that I really want to see God more – you know; the whole taking up your cross and following Jesus thing. Because I think that it’s pretty damn awesome to get to that point where you sit and have a proper conversation with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. Can you imagine it?? Yoh, the joy.

Thing is, once you decide to do anything for God, the forces in place will do everything they can to make sure that that doesn’t happen.

Satan will attack you with the best that he’s got – I mean, he’s been in the game for a long time and knows exactly what will crush you. He’s not afraid to play dirty. He invented it. And generally, we are inclined to agree with whatever he whispers into our minds because it would appear to be true. He starts shouting when he really gets panicked about you getting tight with God. But there’s a reason that he’s the father of lies, the ultimate deceiver.

Last week at church out of all places he was shouting at me, hitting me with all he had – using my parents, my insecurities, my doubts, my rejection-complex, and even my design ability against me; battling it out in my head. And to the enemy’s credit, I let him win that round. I lost. My flesh surrendered to lies instead of surrendering to Jesus. I allowed my joy to be stolen. And I was angry with God because of His promises to be our protector, our saviour; the one who frees us from the chains of oppression that Satan binds us with. I thought to myself, “God, WHY aren’t you protecting me from this??”

And the answer that eventually came to me the next day was, “because you aren’t letting me.”

The biggest mistake that all of us make is thinking that we can do life by ourselves. God can do the infinite and abundant if we just let him. He gave us other people too:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed” – James 5:16

Nobody is perfect. In fact, most of us are broken. I once watched this video where the guy said: “the church is a home for broken people, not perfect saints”. Satan will use everything that makes you broken to condemn you and bring you down, making you feel too ashamed to confess to anybody. I just want to say to everyone reading this – don’t let him. Talk about your struggles with other people, allow God to lift you out of the dirt, just don’t give up. We’re here to help each other to keep on keeping on.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” – Ephesians 6:12

Here’s to rising above this flame!

~ Written By Veronica Christou

The Plans He Has For Me

I sat in church the other night, and I must have suddenly become tired or hungry or something. You see, when I'm tired or hungry, I become a very nasty person - anyone who knows me will testify to this. And as I sat in church, during the minister's sermon, I was just suddenly attacked by a seriously bad attitude.

The minister was giving a message on seeds, good soil, bad soil, birds and weeds - you may be familiar with the parable. But at one point, the minister asked the question, "Do you know what God wants you to do with your life? And are you doing it!?" 

Enter the Bad Attitude: "How should I know?! I don't know what He wants me to do, and I've been asking Him for years!!? How can you ask me that?!" 

Wow. My inner thoughts were like a slap in my own face. I'm quite sure that the Lord didn't fall off His throne in shock - He knows my heart better than I do - but I sure nearly fell off my own chair. Did I just think that?! Why haven't I been struck by lightning yet? 

Having recovered somewhat, I couldn't quite get my mind back on the pastor's sermon, and so I sat and chewed on the question for the remainder of the evening.

I have been feeling for quite some time now that something *B*I*G* is about to happen. In my mind, I see the Lord opening a door that I've dreamed of walking through, a door that I never thought would open for me. A door that I never even knew existed for me! I have no idea what is beyond this elusive door, but when I think of it, I'm filled with anticipation, excitement and gratitude. I can't wait to see how He's going to use me! But then... I get back into my reality, my daily life, and it all seems so... well... mundane. Frustrating. 

For a few months now, I keep being reminded of Joseph and his multi-coloured cloak. He was his father's favourite, and a dreamer. He dreamed of his brothers bowing before him. Then he dreamed of his brothers and his parents bowing before him. He dreamed of being a saviour and a ruler of the people. He knew that, despite being the youngest of 12 brothers, which already made him less significant as far as birthright goes, God had something huge for Him. He dreamed *B*I*G*. 

Ultimately, Joseph's brothers grew to hate him, and his parents rebuked him for his seemingly foolish dreams. He was abused and sold into slavery, and spent the next thirteen years of his life waiting for his dreams to materialize. Thirteen years! I'm quite certain that during those thirteen years of slavery, false accusations and imprisonment, Joseph must have grumbled about his destiny from time to time. Just the same way my heart did in church the other night. 

You see, I think that deep down I'm just afraid that my dreams are just that: dreams. And that I really will just live an insignificant life, leaving no legacy, making no footprint on this planet, having touched no lives, and perhaps scraping into Heaven by the skin of my teeth at the end of a very mundane existence. And that is why the pastor's question hit such a nerve last night: Do you know what God wants you to do, and are you doing it? 

Jeremiah 29v 11-14

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 YOU WILL SEEK ME and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

People usually stop reading at verse 11, because all on it's own, that is such a "feel-good" verse. You don't really want to risk spoiling it by reading anything further. And yet, the first time that I read verses 12 and 13, I was absolutely floored. And then verse 14: "I will be found by you". WOW.

The minister's question made me uncomfortable, because I don't know what the Lord has planned for me, and until He chooses to reveal it to me, I am to wait, as Joseph waited. Thirteen years? Who knows. But what I do know is that the only way I will ever see my dreams come to pass is to look into His Face. It's extraordinary that He asks nothing more from us. No rituals. No demands. No animal sacrifices. Just for us to get to know Him. 

Seek My face. I will set you free. 

Seek My face. I will restore you.

Seek My face. I will make you a conqueror. 

Seek My face. I will unfold plans that you can only dream of. 

Seek Me. I will be found by you. 

And this is where it hit me: DO I know what God wants me to do? YES! Could it be that mMy ultimate calling in this life is to simply seek Father's face, and get to know Him? Everything else is secondary, and any *B*I*G* plans that come to pass are only the by-product of my relationship with the Almighty. That really simplifies things and takes the pressure off me, trying so hard to figure out what the Lord has in mind for me... as if I could dare read the mind of God.

It probably isn't the kind of answer that our minister was looking for, when he asked that thought-provoking question, but if I think about it: what an honour. If I spent the next thirteen years looking into His Face, getting to know Him, it could be the most adventurous, wonderful thirteen years of my life

Psalm 20v5:

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

~Written by Kirsty Coetzee