MY SISTERS

May we NOT be the reason for our brother's need to flee evil.But may our presence ever lead them to dwell on heavenly themes and to ever be motivated to seek the Lord for themselves.May we conduct ourselves in such a way that our brothers need no to fear but to find solace in our presence.May we not be the cause for the brothers who are falling into sin:whether it's trifling of hearts,flirting,sexual sin or whatever sin it is.

May our sincerity in serving the Lord lead our brothers to choose God.By our purity and love for God,may our brothers be led to have a closer walk with God.May we guard our thoughts,words,and souls.May we keep God's word hidden in our hearts.May we choose NOT to sin rather than a season of pleasure.May we live such that our brothers need not to trace their steps of falling into sin back to us.May we ever love in 'truth and deeds'-may we not be the cause of their temptations.

I sometimes get a sense that we submit while being led into sin.Here we need NOT to submit.We need to stand our ground.Let us stop being the devil's helpmeets.Let us stop disappointing God and lovingly be our brother's keepers.

"Favour is deceitful,and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord,she shall be praised"-Proverbs 31:30

Lessons learnt from Yesterday’s seminar:

Our worth as women originates from Christ alone.Our price is far more than rubies and nothing in this world can measure up.When we understand this,we will NOT feel the need to measure to the world’s standard about what true beauty is nor will we need to be validated by our outward appearance,relationships and material possessions.

We are all created uniquely by God.No one is the same and God loves individuality.When we understand this:we will not feel the need to compare ourselves or try to copy one another.God has made only one you.Accept yourself as you.The Christian woman doesn’t need to fit a particular box:sanguines,melancholics,phlegmatics etc,we are all precious to God.One thing that we should all possess is the character of Christ-this is the ONLY thing that should be the same in each one of us,but we still need to maintain who we are.

Reformation originates with God.When God is the motivating factor for every reform then we won’t substitute reforms in the place of true godliness.When we reform because we love God and we want to please Him,we will not think highly of ourselves.Without Christ reformation loses it’s purpose and when we reform for the sake of fitting in we are following the same pattern as the Pharisees-“to worship God with our lips” while our hearts are far from Him.

To be “meek and quiet” doesn’t mean:timid,insecure,shy,anti-social;but it means we realise that we are weaker vessels and we are feeble and we find our confidence in the Lord.We are bold in Christ and not in ourselves.We depend on Him to be equipped and when we understand this:self will die and we will not find excuses like “what will people say” because we understand we are just vessels.
When we find our security and worth in Christ,then it will be easy for us sisters to get along without being judgemental towards each other.And sadly this is one of the Devil’s attacks against us women.We need to stop criticizing and start realising that we are all sinners and none is perfect.Thus,it will be easier for us to strengthen each other along this journey.We need the love of Christ.If we cannot get along here on earth,which heaven are you going to?

God desires to have a personal relationship with each one of us.He desires us to know Him personally for ourselves and He has blessed us with His Spirit to counsel us;but sadly we sometimes replace the Holy Spirit with mentors/bfs.As much as there’s nothing wrong with seeking knowledge,the Holy Spirit is the One who is qualified to teach us because he "searcheth the deep things of God”.You don’t need to ask bf/mentor for an understanding of the Scriptures.God has given each one of us the privilege to know His Word and to understand it for ourselves through His Spirit.

Obsession with marriage is one of the Devil’s attacks against Christian women.Many have lost their usefulness because they spend all their time pondering on this matter-building castles.But this is not how God would have it.God has a calling for every women-regardless of them being married/not.In fact,if while SINGLE,you cannot share the good news and work for God,what’s going to change when you’re married?Marriage doesn’t enable us to adhere to God’s principles.it is through surrender and willingness that we are equipped to fulfill our calling.

There’s also an obsession with being the Proverbs 31 woman.Nothing wrong with such.But the problem is idolizing her traits without being deeply rooted in God and without having the fear of the Lord.What enables the proverbs 31 to possess such is because she loves God.What’s the point of being good at making patties,when Christ and the love of God doesn’t dwell in the heart?The Christ within us is the one that will bring about all the good qualities.Inwardly then outwardly.
Outward reformation is NOT a replacement for the righteousness of Christ.We need the character of Christ.It is what will fit us for Heaven.The outward should reflect the inside.

Marriage DOES NOT complete anyone.We first need to be complete in God before we can enter into it.The reason there’s so much pain in marriages and a rise in divorce is because many have replaced God with His ordinances.”We have abandoned the Lord and hewn for ourselves broken cisterns”.Completion is not found in the ordinances of God but in Him.

“Reserve and calm” doesn’t mean cold formalism towards our brothers-it means we refrain from all “attention seeking schemes” and refrain from flirting.For some time I really struggled with this concept-I thought I shouldn’t even smile or laugh with my brothers.But this shouldn’t be.It only means we shouldn’t be stumbling blocks nor should the conversations centre on us.No flirting whatsoever.

A woman of God wakes up very early,like Jesus did so that she can receive counsel from God’s Word,so that when she meets various people she can minister for each one.
We should be like apples that are on top,not the ones on the sideways and the floor-because these are touched by everyone and discarded afterwards.But for a brother to reach the apple on top he must work hard and He must first counsel with the Lord.

Our words are to be a savour unto life;our speech is to be always "seasoned with grace" and what we speak should be in line with our actions.

Jesus is the ONLY standard for Christians and for the Christian woman.We sometimes tend to idolize women who we esteem higher than ourselves so much that we start copying them and trying to please them.This shouldn't be.

All in All,people should mistake for Jesus!

The Elder Brother’s syndrome:

I was doing my devotion on Luke 15:11-32, which is the parable about the prodigal son. But the Spirit led me to the older brother.

I find it funny that the older brother never persuaded his brother when he was about to leave home. I also find it funny that he did not see his brother from afar as he was coming back home. And this really got me thinking: aren’t we sometimes like the older brother?
Do we become concerned when we no longer see our sisters/brothers coming to church or we are just happy to fill the chairs of the church, while others leave? Are we even praying for those who’ve backslidden?

And when those who had left the church come back, do we rejoice like the Father, opening His arms to his beloved son? Do we accept them in our arms lovingly and not give them the condemning look?
I remember this instance when a brother who had committed a crime and had been in jail for quite some time came back. When I saw him, the first thing that came in mind was the crime, rather than the joy of seeing him alive. How selfish and cold of me!

Are we like the older brother, who instead of rejoicing was angry? When those who had left the church and are now back, what do our faces say? What do we say behind their backs? Are we still condemning them of the “sins” we heard they were doing? Do we go on to judge them/speak behind their backs, when they become active? Instead of rejoicing, do we become stumbling blocks in their journey,reminding them of their past?

I pray that we may not only work for our own salvation, but that of others-including those who’ve left the church. May God grant us with the Spirit of Christ-which does not seek to condemn but to lift the sinner away from sin, the spirit that does not remember the sins of others and looks beyond the current condition of the sinner.I pray that we hurt when our sisters and brothers fall into sin and pray for them.

“Let’s love in words and in deeds”

Love

We live in a world that associates love with feelings and as something that cannot be explained,and sadly as I continued to let the world define love I got it all wrong.I associated love with roses and chocolate and picnic outings.But true love is way deeper than that.Love,true love gets meaning from its author-God."He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love;for love is of God.".{1 John 4:8 ; 1 John 4:7}.So,it is only when we behold God and as we read His word that we are then able to understand the concept of love,not by watching romantic movies,reading romantic novels and listening to secular love songs.

One of the traits of love include:seeketh not her own,rejoiceth not in iniquity (1 Corinthians 135,6) and it does not harm to others ( Romans 13:11).With this in mind,I have been guilty of tempting my brothers and often this is a respoinse that those who are immodest decide to give:they should control their eyes.But can we honestly say we are loving,when we lead our brothers to sin?If we truly love,even our brothers, we will refrain from buying that which will enhance our physical attributes such as tight dresses and clothing that shows our thighs,legs while leading our brothers to temptation.We will express our love to them by deciding not to do that will harm them i.e impure thoughts as the result of our dressing.

Not only in dress but in conduct also,which is a rebuke to me.If we truly love our brothers,we will not by our words mislead them to do or say that which is displeasing to God.We should always seek to ennoble and influence them for good.If we are responsible for them falling into sin,we are no better than Cain who killed his brother because we are killing them as well.If we desire to be women and wives who have an ennobling influence to the society and their husband,we need to start NOW.

Some men have fallen into sexual sin because the women initiated such and have sought to entagle young men,whom God could have used for the good of mankind.Let us refuse the devil's offer to harm our brothers.Not only do we fail to practically love our brothers but we fail to love our sisters.How many times has a sister poured her heart to us and instead of offering godly advice,we have clapped and smiled?If we truly love our friends or sisters,we will not encourage them in wrongdoing.

I have seen how we have encouraged our friends to wear that which is displeasing to God and to get into relationships that are displeasing to God.Not only have we done this,we even keep quiet.If we truly love,not only will we be concerned about our OWN salvation but that of our brothers and sisters as well.We will always be mindful of the influence we have upon them and we will refrain from saying or doing that which will not benefit them.And it won't happen instantly,but as we co-operate with God and we learn to think before uttering words,we will get there.God is also helping me in this area.

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"Let us love in words and in action"