Divine Encounters

Day 60 Reading: Deut. 30:1- Deut 31:30 Welcome to a new month, March. My prayer is that this month great strides will be your testimony. March forward as God enlarges you. This month I sense shifts will take place for those who have been waiting for answers. God has been working in the background preparing the table for you to eat before your enemies. This month get ready to enter the land of promise. Position yourself God loves you and I. God consistently promises that where His children seek Him wholeheartedly He will restore us to the place of glory when we seek Him wholly. This is the time to return to God wholly. The volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of challenges in the world today demand that we believers rise to a new level of walking with God. Only by following God will I be a distinction in the world. It doesn't matter how far you have fallen, return to God and watch God gather you back to the land He promised you. God desires to circumcise ou...

You and I are born for a reason. Too many people are living life as destiny helpers and never achieving their dreams. This year has been one where I have searched my heart and sought my Maker, the Creator, seeking light on the path I am travelling on. Many today are in tears because they feel that life has them bound and they cannot ascend higher whilst others feel as though there is a ceiling to which they cannot go above. We were born to shine not dwell in darkness!! We are more than conquerors when life is lived in line with God's purpose and design. As the days have passed by over the last few months I have kept asking myself what is the secret to getting to the top? What must we do that we may live the life that shines brightly here on earth? What do you and I need to do that our lives may count towards affecting other countless lives? It all begins with asking what was I born to do here on earth. Every dream achiever begins by seeking their purpose before planning the jo...

Everyday when I wake up I am reminded that God has given me another day. His mercies are new every morning because God is faithful to you and I Lamentations 3:22-23 . You and I are have an assurance that God is compassionate towards us and nothing can change that. As I was reflecting on the day that lay ahead of me, God reminded me that He daily loads my day with benefits Psalms 68:19 . God's commitment to you and I is such that every new day He has benefits that are assigned to us. Yesterday may have been great, but what God has instore for you today is greater than yesterday. Too many times we miss the blessings of God because we are looking back, whereas the benefit that God has bestowed upon your life is in front of you and you can't see it because of where your focus lies. I don't know what you may be going through right now. It may be a financial challenge, a medical condition, a judicial enquiry, relational breakdown, a psychological fixation, a physiologically gen...

Some days in life one feels as though its over; you know those moments when all hope seems to be gone; when the miracle your hoping for isn't anywhere near likely. Those are the days when daylight is simply a blur, when hope is not even a figment of the imagination, when darkness seems to be the best description to everything all around. As I got ready for the day, I just thought about different characters in the bible who were faced with horrific situations but still saw God come through. I just needed to encourage myself. Let me tell you about Jabez, who was called so by his mum because she bore him in pain 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 . Now I don't know how long pain killers have been around but pain and child birth are synonymous. The pain she associated him with must have been a different kind of pain that beclouded her so much that contractions seemed irrelevant. All his life he was followed by this pain whenever his name was mentioned.  I don't know what pain has followed y...

In the midst of unexpected climatic changes, the economic turmoil, civil unrest in some parts of the world, change in many places, I have every expectation that this year is one to leap forward in life. Everyday this year we have an offer to sign a contract in life. The offer is simply to accept things as they come or to determine to build a life as God has designed you to be. You were not born to be run over but to leap over in life. You were not born to be dejected but to inject life into this world. You were not born to be forgotten but to be remembered for having influenced the world to go in the right direction. How do we leap forward in life? L: Lovingly. A loving person will ride any storm and arrive on the other side victorious. Determine to live full of love and as you do so watch as you move from the latitude of failure to that of prosperity. Jesus loved you and I that He died and rose again for us. He leapt from death into life. E: Expectation . Be full of positive ...

I had gone through a tumultuous few days and really just wanted to hear God soothe me and tell me it will be fine even though I was down but not out when I realised the importance of a bridge in life. We use bridges to get to the other side usually going over something that stands or seats as an obstacle to your progress. As I thanked God for being alive even though I really didn't feel like it I began to walk on the bridge to the other side. Many times when we are faced with trouble we remain at one spot instead of crossing to the other side. What makes the bridge from the place of trouble to the place of safety? The first bridge builder is the Word of God. Abraham and Sarah were barren but God promised them a son. In Genesis 21 we read that God visited and did to Sarah what He had promised to do, which was cause her womb to become alive and to conceive. She held onto the promise of God and this promise built her future bringing her from impossibility to the miraculous. As you ...

Everyday I talk to different people due to the nature of my job and I and encounter the different cries of many. Everyone has a cry within their heart for a desire that they long to be fulfilled. Yesterday whilst talking to a friend whom I regularly talk to I discovered that they were worried about their future yet they hadn't expressed this side of their inner heart. Yes, I knew what the issue was but didn't realise the depth or gravity of the cry. As I reflected on this I began to pray a prayer I saw David the Psalmist had prayed. "Let me be happy and joyful!!" Psalms 51:8a CEV .  That was the cry of a broken man and represents the desire of many today whose lives are broken. As I continued in meditation it became clear that this year will be a year where God responds to this peculiar inner cry. You may have desired for long to see a miracle or need met, wait patiently knowing that God is for you and will cause you to hear joy and gladness once again in every area...

Every morning I make a habit of reading the Psalms to help me start my day off with praise to God. This habit also helps me maintain an atmosphere of gratitude,  as I have found it easy to moan in the world we live in. This morning as I read the Psalms for my devotion I was amazed at how God is in the business of pulling one out of the horrible pit that circumstances sometimes turn out to be. As I thought about this, I realised that this year I have no business being a resident of any horrible pit in life.  For the year to be all that I am expecting, I have no business dwelling in the pit of sorrow, failure, regret, moaning or mourning. As I meditated about the awesome power of God to pull me out of any horrible pit, I realised God this year will pull us out of every mess. You and I are in the age where the mess becomes a message of hope and change. God will pull you out of the pit and place you on solid ground. There can be no other solid footing other than the Jesus who is...

As I went to bed last night I thought about my mission statement. Now you may wonder why I had such a thought, but to remain focused in the world today one has to constantly keep reminding themselves of why they exist. While reflecting, God reminded me that the key to seeing the impossible become possible is in believing Mark 9:23 . Life is always questioning what you believe. Your faith is under siege everyday and  we have a responsibility to maintain our faith. When Jesus gave the response to the gentleman that all things are possible if you believe, the gentleman was undergoing a traumatic experience and had approached Jesus seeking an answer and most certainly not a verbal one. To his surprise, the responsibility for the miracle was returned to him. You are responsible for the outcome of every situation you have as God's power is activated by our faith in Him. To see this year become a successful year, you need to partner with God. You ask 'how do I partner with God?'...

I lay in bed thanking God for the day whilst at the same time my heart was weighed down by some issues that I just was concerned about. As I thanked God for life, God began to speak to me to look ahead.  As I meditated on those words I was reminded of an account in the bible where God stood in front of Moses and allowed him to see all His goodness Exodus 33:19. This incident took place in a desert, where Moses was surrounded by  sand, was eating manna for sustenance and am sure life didn't look great as the children of Israel he was leading constantly complained. God painted a picture of a bright future and Moses embraced it not allowing his present circumstances to hinder his seeing his future. I want to challenge you to look ahead and not allow the trials, failings, circumstances of the past and present to become an obstacle to possessing your future. Let God paint your future while you embrace it by pursuing it passionately. As you embrace it walking towards the purpose a...

Congratulations on arriving into 2012. This year I am getting set to walk into places that are closed to man but not to God. I am getting set for the best days of my life and know that I will enter places that will only be summarised as divine. You may wonder why I am so sure that I will enter places that man cannot get one into. Note the following incident recorded in the bible. When Jesus resurrected He entered the room where the disciples were even though the doors were shut which meant no human being could enter John 20:26 . Not only did He enter through the walls that were humanly impenetrable but he also ate a meal with them Luke 23:42-43 . By virtue of the resurrection you and I are accorded certain benefits that bring us to divine levels. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is also resident within you and I to give us life that sets us apart Romans 8:11 . This year anyone who sees Jesus as the Door and willingly enters through Him will breakthrough like never bef...

The days ahead will be awesome, wondrous and glorious days but only to those who choose to follow God wholly. As we come to the end of 2011 and enter a new season called 2012, my heart is concerned that many others and even myself may not see the fullness of what God has planned. You might wonder why I have included myself, but that is because I also have to pay the price if I want to win the prize allotted for me in 2012. I have made the choice to pay the price to succeed in all areas of endeavour. One key to victory that will separate those who succeed from the rest is the ability to listen and hear God clearly. The days of depending on someone to hear God for you are over. God desires relationship with us but unfortunately we have relationships with everyone and everything else apart from our Creator. Even when we say we have a relationship with Him too many times we have shallow relationships with Him that cannot sustain the new season we are about to enter. Too many of us kno...

As the year is drawing to a close it's important that we end the year well. I don't mean by splashing out a party or some expensive function to mark the end of the year but one needs to take stock of the year and end it well. The best way and I believe the right way to end the season is to be grateful.  One of the biggest plagues devastating humanity is called "Complainotitis"-just coined that word to describe the attitude of a complainer. Today some people will complain about everything, everyone, anything and anyhow; no wonder we have many ungracious characters. Listening to some people describe their year will make you realise that many are downright ungrateful for everything.  I have made a choice and that is to be thankful for everything. As 2011 is slowly winding down I have decided that I will enter 2012 with a grateful heart enabling me to be gracious. I am grateful I am alive; am thankful I am healthy, living, working, walking, talking, and once again livin...

As the year is drawing to a close many people are already thinking about 2012. I don't know about you but I have great expectations for next year. I know that sounds funny considering the doom and gloom filling the news media and many people's lives but I have made the choice to paint a different picture in my life with the imagination I have.  I am not forgetting that the economy is having massive contractions; that am growing younger or older to some and many challenges lie ahead. I just have made the choice to believe God that 2012 will only be great and glorious. My choice is not based on flaky feelings or lopsided mental instability if there is such a thing. My choice to believe that 2012 is a year to be carried with great expectations is based what the bible says.  Moses stood in the desert and asked to see God's face. In a place of nothing but sand God showed Moses a path ahead of him filled with nothing but goodness. Your life may seem like a desert right now but ...

Many times while walking on this journey of life we look at our lives and wonder where we are headed to. While speaking with many friends I kept hearing the words 'am tired of this or that'. We are tired of working hard and seemingly going nowhere. The storms that are raging in the world are not only political or economic but every fibre of life is experiencing a shaking.  I have used the Word of God to encourage myself constantly whenever I am faced with challenges. As I have continued to read and listen to the Word of God I have understood why Paul said that the reason he could face the future boldly was because he was confident and full of trust of God in whom he had committed his all to (2 Timothy 1:12) . Paul understood that God was in control of everything and that even when things didn't seem favourable God would work them out in his favour ( Romans 8:28 ).  I want to encourage anyone and everyone who may think that life is just not happening for them as they desir...

The year is coming to an end; somehow the end seems closer than ever. Days just seem to be flying and as a friend told me life is moving faster than the speed of light. Recently, I woke up with the thought of what do I need to do to succeed in the coming year. Many have began planning for the glorious days they desire to see ahead but all the plans will be of no use without this one key, namely PREPARATION. Every chef will tell you that the secret to an excellent meal is in the preparation of the ingredients. Preparation is the key to successful execution of plans not just in the kitchen of a Michelin restaurant but even in life. As one prepares to enter the new year preparation will take many forms. One very important aspect of this will be the closure of matters that can easily be a distraction going forward. One cannot plan properly without closing matters that need to be put away in 2011. Don't allow the issues of the past to hinder your future Isaiah 43:18-19 . As you prepare...

Living in any part of the world will present challenges that either make or break us. Challenges are to be overcome not sustained. Every challenge in life will require a key to unlock the door of breakthrough. I have discovered that no matter the challenge one is facing there is one thing that everyone needs, namely love. Love and not the Hollywood sensationalism that the world craves; but the God kind of love that defies all odds is what we all need. The God kind of love gives all when there seems to be nothing; this love is willing to lay down ones life for another person's good. I have discovered that anything is possible for those who love wholly. Not only is anything possible but there is a joy that living life lovingly produces that you cannot buy anywhere. We are not called to live selfishly but selflessly in a loving manner. I will close with the words of one who gave His life that we may have eternal life and not just an earthly life. "There is no greater love than ...

For many today we are in the eleventh hour in many areas of life. In footballing terms for many people the the game of life is nearly over; in fact we are playing what we call injury time. It seems as though only a miracle will save anyone from defeat. As this month begins flood your heart with the possibilities if God. Get ready to see mountains move as you speak God's language of faith Mark 11:22-23 . Part of the reason life is not moving is because our hearts are not filled with faith. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks Matthew 12:34 implying that our hearts are the nerve centre of what we say. As we are aware our faith filled words will move mountains but only if the heart is full of faith. Paint your mind and heart with pictures drawn from the living Word of God. Remember nothing is too hard for God Jeremiah 32:27 . God created the universe including you making any challenge insignificant in its power to defy God. 

Recently everyone with an iPhone had to sync their phones to download the latest operating software for the phone that would enable the phone to operate at a higher capacity than before. As I was syncing my phone recently I realised that many times we cannot access the future because we are not syncing properly. Before I could sync my phone I needed to download the latest software for my computer and phone. I realised that if I wanted to enjoy the full capacity of the phone I needed to download the required software how much more in life. Everyday as a Christian one must learn to sync their heart with the operating system that is from God. Paul told the church that transformation is only through renewing the mind Romans 12:1 . Not syncing your life with the Word of life will result in you remaining in darkness for the Word of God is light Psalms 119:105 . At creation when faced with nothing but that which was formless all God did first was speak Light into being. He who is Light gave ...

Dear Friend, I noticed that your smile was jaded and that you were exhausted. Life has not been easy for you over the last few months. It seems to have been a slog over the last few months and yet the sun doesn't seem to be shining over your life. I know it feels like you are in a dark tunnel that doesn't seem to have an end right now. I do realise that you are not only positive but very optimistic that all will be well. I just want to encourage you to hold on. I read a story of a gentleman who was a prisoner of war for years on end. He survived but many didn't and when asked what made him different he said it was because he settled it in his mind that the end of this matter would be good news for him. He was not only optimistic but he held onto the faith that he would overcome in the end John 16:33. Don't let lives storms take the smile out of your life; the storms should only make you stronger and better. Always remember that in life every situation is not eternal ...