A letter to a timid heart

Dear _______,



       Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid. I know how you tell yourself that you are good for nothing. I know that you torment yourself! What drives you to do such a thing? Why do you commit yourself into an everlasting cycle of self-hatred?

       You tell me, that you've been brought up this way. I tell you, that I can see it in you. I understand what you go through - I was brought up that way as well. Even now, the system that I was borne from tries to pull me back in. The people of the world say that you MUST hate yourself to grow stronger. To wallow and punish yourselves for the mistakes and crimes that you did (and more often than not, did not) commit.

       I met a person once, who had a gentle soul, but in everything that he does, he tortures himself with thoughts of remorse, regret and guilt. The worst part was, that these things were unfounded! Nobody blamed him, nobody scorned him - it was just that he felt that way. He also used to tell me that it was his "upbringing" that taught him so.

     And what can be said? The system of the world teaches everyone to be pressured, to pressure themselves, to stress themselves. To be filled with stress, one needs to be destroyed internally. To have his confidence broken, his spirit broken - only then can he be pushed around. Tell me, are you mules? Are you beasts? Or do you think, and feel? 

      Be strong! There is hope for you yet! You who say that you believe, there is a great hope for you. I was once a part of such a system of belief. I hated, and was ashamed of everything that I did. Even when it was good. I told myself that I could never have anything good - and that I did not deserve praise.

      My heart cries out for you, my friend. I know the pain that you go through and I know how far back this pain stretches. You may not see it, but it stems all the way back into your childhood. Consider your past, and tell me it is not so? Be truthful - call abuse for what it is, and praise for what it is.

      What else can be said, my friend? All my words will fall upon deaf ears if you who hear, do not want to change. Often times, we enjoy this feeling of pain. Some people externalize it.. some others, turn it inwards, destroying themselves with these feelings.

      Where does this stem from, you ask? Injustice. Many who have suffered injustice, wallow in this feeling - only because this is the only feeling that they know. The only feeling that was so strong in their childhood. In time, it becomes the driving force. They can claim that this driving force is what keeps them going, but without the Father's hand, and without facing it, and being freed from this chain of Injustice, in time; the process will repeat itself. Only now, you will be the one who is unjust.

       So how do you get free of this? It come back to only one solution. Go to God. Seek Him, cry to Him, and He will answer you without fail. But beware! He will definitely answer you - it is whether you choose to act upon that answer in love and obedience or not, that decides the outcome.

       Do not torture yourself with these kind of thoughts any longer my friend. There is hope for you. What you lack, He will fill. Seek Him with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul. I am nothing but a guide. Nothing more, nothing less. He will be the one who strengthens you, for indeed:

  "God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The LORD gives me power and strength; he is my savior. "

Isaiah 12:2 GNB

A Letter - On how to receive your blessings

Dear ________,

         There are many times that we ask of things that are seemingly in line with what He wills us to have - it is often during those times that He seems the most distant. I often wondered if it was a sign that He was reluctant to bless us.

         Now though, I realize, that often when we ask for something, the first thing he ALWAYS does is to test us. To see if we are ready to receive such things. If you were to ask for Faith, He most certainly will grant you faith! It's also certain that He will temper you, and test you - and often times, it is true this period of testing and tempering that you will gain that faith.

        See, the Father will ALWAYS answer your prayers, it's not a question. It's a statement. Does that mean you can pray that the moon will blow up and it will happen? No! He's a benevolent God, but he is definitely not stupid! If a man who is manipulative, asks the Father for wisdom, do you think God will grant him wisdom? Surely he will! But only after humbling that manipulative man, and then testing him over a period of time, forming and shaping him; changing his evil ways.

       Often times when people pray, they don't see the ending clause. God -will- bless you, He -will- answer your prayers, but only -IF- you obey. Why obey? Simple. Positioning. Even in the spiritual, we need to position ourselves to receive the full measure of blessing that the Lord has in store for us.

      If I say "I've dropped a supply crate 100km northeast of your position," the only way for YOU to get those supplies, is to walk 100km northeast and take it! If you don't obey, then anyone else who happens to stumble across that supply crate will happily take it for themselves and you become none the wiser!

     Metaphors aside, it's the same with blessings. Okay, so your prayer may go something like, "Lord, help me be a more loving, compassionate and  wiser person" and God may tell you "Okay, I want you to talk to that woman by the roadside and listen to what she has to say, and you will receive that wisdom." It then becomes our choice to believe what He tells us to do and do it, or not. The effect of which, is to receive the fruits of his blessing, or not.

     It's really difficult to give an exact idea on -how- to receive your blessings; especially blessings that He promised you (whether He really did do that is a different matter altogether). All I can tell you for sure is this:

     Obey and have faith. Even when you do not see, obey and have faith. The MORE you do not see, the MORE you must obey and have faith. If you lack the strength to do what is right, then seek Him more. If you lack the faith to see it through, seek Him more! For He WILL restore your strength. Put your trust in Him.

 "But those who trust in the LORD for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak. "

Isaiah 40:31 (GNB)

"Jesus said to him, "Is it because you have seen me that you have believed? How blessed are those who have never seen me and yet have believed! "

John 20:29 ISV (International Standard Version)

A letter to Believers

Dear ______,

How many of us claim to know who God is, and yet fail to represent Him? "Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" - Impossible? No. Not for Him. He knows that you CANT do it, and that's why He sent the Holy Spirit down to aid us!

So why isn't every church, every pulpit, every soul, burning with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, endurance and forbearance? The difference, dear friends is our choice. Do we choose to follow His ways, and in turn, be made whole? Or do we choose to hang on to our way of life, and wonder why we feel so hurt, alone and broken all the time?

I've had -so- many people come up to me and say "I tried God, it doesn't work." To be entirely honest, it's not that "God doesn't work" it's that we DIDN'T choose Him in the first place. Most of us, just want what -we- want. We have NO interest in what He wants for us because we think that all He wants of us, is to suffer! And it is to this belief we hold on to with our dear lives. No wonder it didn't work out well! We already believed that it WONT work and that we'd have to suffer through our lives!

Well, I'm sorry to break this to you, but the God I know of, is a God of blessing, of the Living. Not of Curses and Death. You want to take part in Curses and Death? That kingdom is that-a-way.

Stop believing that God is here to serve YOU. He's not. Stop worshiping other gods! Oh, you're not? Then, take that car that you treasure so much and sell it off, then ask the Lord where He wants you to put the money. Go, build a church, a shelter for orphans, dedicate your life to serving the Lord and I guarantee He will take care of you, and that you will be filled with much joy!

Sounds easy? How many of will survive two months - no, two weeks doing those things? A vast majority of us will not (note I said will not) sacrifice the life that we have, the "I am God over my life because I can control the outcome of this and that".

Believers, you who profess and claim that you will serve the Lord 100% - Allow Him first, to remove the log that is in your eye. Allow Him to chastise you, to form you, allow Him to be Lord over your life. Only THEN can you seek to help others. Do not even THINK of helping others out there when your own life is in chaos - you are running away from your reality, the people you are "helping" become your escape.

Remember, remember! God is NOT a vending machine. You don't put in a prayer and expect things to go your way. The Lord has plans for you, plans of prosperity, not of woe! But often, we want things to go OUR way. We are selfish. We act like children, throwing tantrums, turning our backs on the Father because we didn't get what WE wanted. Be aware!

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. "

Mat 6:33

A letter to religion

Dear ______,

      I wonder what would people say, when I come out and say it, "I... am not a religious person at all, I don't like religion, I never have, and never will."

      It's strange that not many people know what the word Religion stands for, and yet we go around, so actively binding ourselves to that word. The root word of religion, is "to bind" - "to tie" - "to fasten".

     When Jesus came, did he come to preach religion, or freedom? Think about it for a second. Christian life isn't supposed to be a set of rules that you follow, a set of laws that you obey. It's a way of life, a choice of living, doing what is right, in obedience and accordance to the Father.

     How is this different from religion? Simple - Religion teaches us - say 300 prayers and observe 3000 laws, or you will go to hell.

    Christian freedom and life tells us "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" and to 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'

   Again, in all things, it comes down to choice. If God tells you "if you eat junk food everyday, you're going to suffer health problems", it becomes our choice whether we want to OBEY or not! The way of the world teaches us is that obedience, is slavery. No, it isn't. Obedience is borne out of love. Slavery, is servitude, out of fear.

    Let me give you an example: Recently I met a man (and his wife, but that's not the focus of the story) and he'd just walked into the house, leaving the front door wide open. Now, the area that I live in has a wonderful thriving community of mosquitoes just waiting to come in. So I up and asked that man

   "Is there anyone else outside?"

   His response? "There are angels out there."

   Can you hear that? That's the sound of me slapping my forehead in exasperation. Who says that?! Do you feel more respected by being so religious? Foolishness!

   For everything, there is a time, and there is a season, you don't plant grain when it's harvest time, you don't harvest when it's time to plant your grain! Be careful of what you say and when you say it! Saying something when the time is wrong will only lead to more chaos. Only a fool does not guard the words of his lips!

   Friends, be aware - your life, is a testimony to others. The world is already full of burdens and laws that bind and contradict. They weigh you down, they press you. Religion is just an over glorified way of the world. You who say you are Christians. Live your life by the words of Jesus, enough with wandering around worshiping religion. Your God isn't named Religion.

   Jesus did not come down to die for us, only for us to hand ourselves back into chains.Many of you have said that Christianity, followers of Christ, is a way of life, but how many of you actually understand what it means?

   Here's an interpretation of being a follower of Christ, a Christian:

 "...And you must love God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength; and you must love your neighbor as you love yourself. It is more important to obey these two commandments than to offer on the altar animals and other sacrifices to God." 

Mar 12:33