Getting Over The Big Things

One of the things that trips us up the most as Christians is the ability to move past the things we love that aren't good for us. Often, we realise what is holding back our growth LONG before we actually let it go.  Knowing that something isn't good for us doesn't automatically mean that we are able to let go of it.  It could be a bad relationship, or maybe a friendship that drains you or a job that's sucking the life out of you or a shopping addiction that's killing your finances. It could be anything. Sometimes we just need to make a strategy and take practical steps to get over certain things. 

I've found the following steps to work for me. 

1. Set a deadline  - give yourself a date after which you will no longer allow yourself to pine over what you're about to lose.  Ensure that is realistic or else when the date comes and goes and you're not over your problem you'll find yourself becoming depressed. 
2. Write it down - a visual reminder Sometimes it's all that we need to get over certain things.  If your space is private enough consider putting it on your mirror as a daily reminder.
3. List all the reasons that whatever is it you are trying to get over is not good for you.  Making an actual list will sometimes give  you that jolt you needed to move on. Reality will hit and you will have a stronger mental resolve as a result. 
4. Let it go a little bit at a time.  Cold turkey works for some things.  Other things need to be changed over time.  Break down your problem into parts.  Set mini deadlines for dealing with each part.
5. Pray, pray, pray.  This should come first, in the middle and last.  In other words,  pray the entire time.  Pray for God's wisdom, strength, clarity of thought and focus because you will need it.  You might even consider a fast too.  A fast will  help teach you some self control, this may help prevent you from going back to what you've left behind.

I do hope that these steps will help you leave the weights behind and launch into God's purpose for your life.  Have a blessed day. 

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author 

All of Joana's books may be seen here. 

Serving God for the Perks

Christianity comes with a few perks.  It's called God's favour. It's those pleasant things that happen to us simply because we are followers of Christ,  not because we have done anything special to earn them.  It's almost like grace,  but  grace is a much bigger deal. 

Unfortunately,  I've noticed that we can become a bit complacent and so used to our perks that they become the reason that we serve Christ.  If we are not careful we can become like spoilt children, throwing tantrums simply because we don't get what we want. I have seen many cases where people backslide or go into deep depression because they didn't get the thing that they wanted most.  It's a dangerously slippery slope and we have to be careful that we don't get on it.

We need to constantly remind ourselves that Christianity is about Christ.  It is about a relationship with Him,  not about what He can give us.  Of course,  we serve a God who loves us and does everything in His power to keep us safe and fed.  However,  we won't give us every thing we want simply because not everything we want is good for us.

Let us not treat Christianity as a job we accepted simply for the perks.  Let's build a relationship with God;  everything else will come after.  With a real relationship with God will come an understanding of why He does what He does,  when He does it. 

Have a blessed day!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Doing what you Believe

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21

It's easy to talk Christianity. Throw in a few catch phrases, quote a few scripture verses, talk about an experience from ten years ago and you'll sound like you've got it right. It's a completely different thing to live the life of a Christian though. 

Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that it's our actions and the state of the heart that determines the state of a man, not what we say. You see, what we do cannot be separate from what we believe. If we say we believe something then our actions should follow in line with what we believe. I've said this before and I'll say it again, the world shuns Christianity simply because of the Christians. We preach one thing but live completely contrary to what we say. People can't see our God portrayed in us, nor can they see the changes in our lives that we claim He can make in theirs. They don't see it not because our God can't do it, but because we refuse to let Him. God won't do anything in us we don't allow or we don't ask for. So whilst He's waiting for permission to move in our lives, those on the outside looking in are wondering what the big commotion is all about. They see no change. 

Change always starts with one person taking stock of what needs to change and making it happen. If if person works on themselves soon the whole will be changed. Let today be the day we decide to stop talking church and start living like Christ. Not only should we strive to be like Him but we should also allow Him the time and free reign to work on us. Allow his will to be done in our lives and follow his directions as He gives it. 

Today, let us not only talk Christianity but let us also live it.

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Remembering what you've Prayed for

Aren't we all delighted when God answers our prayers? I know I am. But what happens when we have forgotten what we've prayed for?

Let me explain what I mean. Several years ago, I was going through a particularly difficult situation. Coming out of it was hard but it was a decision that I had to make. I knew that in my own strength it was a lost cause, so I looked to God. I prayed really earnestly one particular night. It was a desperate plea as I walked head first into my situation planning to take the bull by the horns. God came through for me that night and I walked away slightly damaged but no worse for the wear. However, three weeks later, I was a total mess. I was crying, asking God why He didn't work things out differently or why he didn't change the things in the situation instead of pulling me out of it completely. I was a royal mess. That's when God reminded me of that night when I prayed. He had answered my prayer exactly as I prayed it because in that moment when I prayed, my heart was most desperate and I was the most honest with myself. See, when we have had a chance to think about certain things, we tend to try to tailor or prayers to something that we can comfortably handle when that may not necessarily be what we need.

God reminded me of that day years ago because today I'm praying for something similar. I giggled when He reminded me that in about two weeks, I would need to remember what I prayed for today. God hears our prayers when they are in their most honest form and He answers them. Don't let depression or desperation or simple distraction from the enemy cause you to renege on God and question an answer to a prayer that YOU prayed.

Sometimes we really do know what's best for us, we just have to be honest with ourselves about it. Don't develop amnesia and forget what you prayed for when you realise that a thing you really liked is gone. Trust God to do His job because He always does it right.

Have a blessed day!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

It begins with you!

There are a lot of things wrong with the way we behave in the body of Christ, there's no doubt about that. Nothing is wrong with the church that Christ built, however we are mere humans marred by sin and we have weaknesses.

Yesterday, a friend of mine told me a story. He said to me that one day, a lady at church simply walked up to him and invited him and his siblings to lunch. My friend was overwhelmed and quite frankly, suspicious of the lady's motives. He asked many questions about her, trying to figure out what she really was up to. Finding nothing that worried him, he finally accepted the invitation.

My friend's behaviour may be a bit paranoid, but when you really think about it, there's a reason for that. Kindness is missing in the body of Christ so much so that when it is offered to us, we find it strange. We see each others needs, (emotional, spiritual and physical) and we simply offer to pray, most of the time forgetting to actually pray for that person.

So the body of Christ is sick. No every joint is supplying and instead of doing our part we look to the person sitting next to us in the pews or even to church leadership. We have grown into a society that cares more for our own well being than that of others. We have lost our empathy.

Things can change in the body of Christ very easily. All it takes is each person working on himself. Each person seeing where they have erred and making a move to fix it. Each person showing kindness to the next, or love to the next or extending forgiveness to the next. That's how the body of Christ would return to proper functionality.

Ever wonder why it's so hard to convince others of the love of Christ? It's because we do not show that love. We talk about it but people do not feel it coming out of us. We are Christ's hands here on earth. We are the ones that are to show forth his love. People get to know Him through us. When we begin to show Christ's love tangibly, our buildings will become too small to hold the flock.

So today, let us not go about complaining about all the things we see that are wrong in our own local churches, but let us start to make the necessary changes individually. Before long, we will see the change we have always wished to see in the entire body. 

It begins with you!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Open window Christianity

Daniel 6:10 NLT

But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

The first sentence of this scripture shocks me a little. Daniel heard about the new law but went home to pray with his window open. Isn't that something? I know what I would do after hearing about a law like that. I'd go home to pray but I would definitely keep my windows closed.

Daniel shows the kind of bravery that a lot of us (including me) don't have, Not only was he not ashamed of his Christianity, he was ready to accept the consequences of this choice. Most of us have the freedom to worship whomever or whatever we want in our countries, yet not many of us are willing to stand up boldly and declare that we are Christians. We attend church regular and pray regular within closed doors but when we are required to speak out again immorality we shy away. Heated discussions about major social issues that are changing our landscapes happen around us all the time and we are afraid to take the Christian stance for fear of ostracism. 

Daniel didn't care about being ostracised. As a matter of fact, his punishment was not ostracism, but rather death. At the time he made the decision to pray, there is no indication that God gave him the assurance that he's survive the plan the enemy had for him, but he did it anyway. 

My encouragement to you today is to live out your Christianity with the windows open. Live life outside of church the same way you do in church. Be bold about your faith, let the devil know that even when threatened, you are proud to be a Christian.

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

All things work TOGETHER for our Good

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

This Bible verse takes a lot of abuse. We misquote it a lot and one variation that I hear often is "all things work out for good". This is what causes a lot of people to doubt its validity. This misquote causes us to expect every situation to work out in our favour. When it doesn't, we blame and doubt God.

What this scripture is really saying is that no matter how many difficult situations you may face, in the end God's plan is that all the tiny pieces of the puzzle will come together and the big picture will be something great.

You see each situation has a purpose in our lives; and it's not to frustrate us, but to mold us for the future. Our reaction to each one is important because it determines whether we are ready for the next stage in our process. God never promised that we'd have stress free lives but He did promise that He would always have our backs (Hebrews 13:5b).

Remember that in the end all these tiny situations that cause us headaches will come together and work out in our favour. It's always at the end of the puzzle that we realize what each piece was for. The same thing goes for life. You will realize how each situation or struggle has come together for your good at the end when you look back and marvel at how God worked it out.

Till then, keep on trusting God. Know that He is busy putting your puzzle together and it WILL work out according to His plan if your trust him and do what He asks.

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Feather-weight Christianity

Since Christ made an appearance here on earth Christianity has always demanded a bit of radical faith. First of all, it takes a radical determination to believe the things we do. To the ordinary man, what we believe looks somewhat ridiculous. It may even look ridiculous in our own eyes sometimes, but we have our experiences and assurances that keep us going, so we believe.

Believing is one thing, however, actions are something totally different. Back in the day of the apostles, proclaiming Christianity was punishable by death, yet that era gave us the most radical Christians we have ever seen. In the face of persecution, the apostles continued to preach, teach and lead their flocks of believers.

Nowadays, we have things so much easier. We can gather in public places and talk about our God. We can declare boldly that "I am a Christian" without fear of any harm coming to us. We basically have it pretty easy.

So why then are so many of us practicing feather-weight Christianity? Why are we just doing to bare minimum? We walk into church on Sunday morning, or Tuesday night or whatever other day we choose to go to church and after that we behave like we've paid our dues. We have the "no one can judge me except God" attitude and we basically live our lives however we want. Most days, no thought is taken concerning God's rules and our lifestyle does not match up with the Bible or with Christ. We have a million and one excuses for the reason that we can't do what the Bible says and we claim that those that do are fanatics or ignorant Bible thumpers.

Its been said before that the main reason the world resents Christianity is the Christians. We don't practice what we preach and that serves as a deterrent to those on the outside. Our pulpits are confused and we relax our principles in the name of tolerance or love. I bet God is saddened when he looks down on His Church; His bride that he's supposed to return for. The bride that should be getting ready for his return.

There are a lot of things wrong with collective Christianity but it takes each individual to look at him/herself and make the changes. The Church is you and it is me. It is not a building or a denomination. Therefore it is not a building or a denomination that needs to change but you and I. Our priorities need to be reset, goals revisited and lives re-examined because change starts with the individual. Let your neighbors see a difference in the way you live. Let your coworkers see a difference in the way you work. Don't use excuses to fornicate or to party like a wild animal. It's easy to put on makeup and head to church and call yourself a Christian, but it's a totally different story where living the life is concerned. Let's go back to the basics, honouring God and doing His will. That's all that's required from us.

Let's live today with a difference. The world is watching.

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Wearing Kindness around your neck!

Are you loving and kind? If you are a Christian you will probably say yes. Love and kindness are words that are or should be synonymous with Christianity. In other words, if you are a Christian, then you should be loving and kind.

Well, unfortunately for some of us, love and kindness are actions, not feelings. You see, love does no one any good if it is not demonstrated. Same goes for kindness. A hungry child is not fed simply because you feel compassion towards them. They only get fed if you get up and feed them.

I watched a pretty disturbing video yesterday where a camera crew and a couple of actors tested the general public on a street corner. They pretended to kidnap a 7 yr old girl (also an actor). This little girl called out for help several times, screaming at the top of her lungs "he's not my dad". Several people passed by (men, women and teens), but no one helped this girl. Over and over, they did their act until finally a group of men, without uttering a word to each other acted in unison. They not only felt compassion or kindness towards the little girl, they acted on it.

That story reminds me of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. Our world has conditioned us to think in a "it's not my business" kind of way and even as Christians we adopt that culture. We ignore the plight, not only of our fellow Christians but also of our fellow men in general, thinking that somebody else will help.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:3 (NLT)Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Something tied around your neck or written deep in your heart cannot easily be forgotten. Let us remember to exercise kindness at all times. Don't leave it to someone else. Don't feel sad and then do nothing about a situation. Your feelings don't help anyone. It's your actions that do.

Go out today with kindness tied around your neck!

Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 

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Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Starting Over

Over the years I've made so many mistakes that I've become some what of an expert in getting up and moving on.  It's not something I like to be an expert in, I'd much rather be an expert in walking right, but as a friend of mine would say "it is what it is".

So anyway, getting up and moving on. How do you do that when you've made the biggest mistake you can ever possibly make? What's worse is that so many people know what you've done, right? You can't possibly walk away from that kind of shame. Or can you?

Step one: Forgive yourself. You've already asked God for forgiveness or else you wouldn't be trying to move on. He's forgiven you so now it's time to forgive yourself. I know, I know. You feel dumb for making the decisions you did because you should have known better, right? Doesn't matter. What's done is already done, what matters now is what you do next. So forgive yourself.

Step two: Remember that your sin is no bigger than anybody else's. Yup, that's right. The biggest gossipers in church right now talking about you are no better than you, no matter what you did. God evaluates all sin on the same playing field. We're all equal in that light. So quit worrying about what other people think. At least you're dealing with your stuff, that puts you a step further than the rest of them.

Step three: Get out of the house! Quit isolating yourself. That's not going to help you feel any better. And if you're trying to break a bad habit, doing it alone will ensure failure. I'm sure you have at least one friend standing in your corner. Reach out to that person and let them be your friend. If you really have no one,  then remember that God is there. Even though you feel stupid doing it, talk to Him out loud the way you would talk to a friend. That will help strengthen not only you but also your relationship with him. However, God is a great friend, the best really, but sometimes you just need human companionship. Ask Him so send you a friend who can build you up instead of breaking you down. He'll provide one.

Step four: Make a deliberate effort to rebuild your relationship with God. This is going to be hard because you'll feel like you failed Him and He shouldn't even forgive you, but trust me, He's the best friend you can have right now. Only a stronger relationship with Him will keep you from making the same mistake twice.

Now, go with God and with your head held high.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Using Discernment

Discernment - it's a big word that's thrown around a lot in Christianity. It became part of our jargon a long time ago and I suspect some of us have forgotten what it really means. Some of us have developed it but are too busy being pleased with ourselves for having discernment to be interested in using it.


So what is discernment really? Dictionary.com describes it as this: acuteness of judgement and understanding. In layman's terms, this simply means being a good judge of the situations and people around us and being able to see them for what they are rather than what they seem to be.

Discernment is essential. It helps to stay away from bad situations and keep safe, both physically and spiritually. Discernment is what will keep you walking away from a guy who asks you out nicely but has an ulterior motive, or from a financial transaction that promises great wealth but is run by a con man.

Wow, discernment. It's a great thing to have isn't it. We all have some measure of it, but some of us have what is referred to as "The Gift of Discernment". It means that we are able to judge situations correctly long before most people begin to see the light.

So what do we do with all this discernment. Whether we have been blessed with the "gift" or we just have plain old simple biblical wisdom and power from Holy Spirit to "see" stuff, discernment isn't just so that we can sit around and say we saw the evil in a person or situation long before anybody else. Unfortunately, that's what a lot of us do with it. For a long time, that's all I did with it. I'm one of those people who was "blessed" with the "gift". I usually discern a person or situation long before anybody else and I'm usually right. Unfortunately for me, when it came to speaking out or even acting on this gift for my own good, I was a coward. I always felt like I was judging someone. You know how we like to misuse the verse "Judge not that you not be judged" (Matthew 7:1) and use if for our own self-righteous vindication. I was always afraid that someone would call me out on "judging" them the wrong way. So, instead, I walked into situations that I knew were fishy because I didn't want to offend anybody.

Today, I sit back with a bit more maturity and I laugh at myself. I got engaged to a guy 7 years ago knowing very well that he wasn't the one God wanted in my life. I knew there were things about him that I wouldn't be able to live with and there were things about his christian walk that sounded like a screeching violin to my spirit. Holy Spirit was begging me to get out of there, but I didn't want to offend him. I didn't want to judge him. I lied to myself and said maybe I was there to help him. What I was really doing was offending Holy Spirit. He took time to show me a dangerous situation and I ignored Him. Wow. Of course, I learned the hard way. There was a messy break-up that led to a serious of bad relationships thereafter. I was wounded by that guy and to some extent I felt like I needed to show him that I could move on. Instead, I walked head first into the WORST relationship ever. (Another one I discerned before I walked in but went anyway.)

If only I had learned to act on what I knew to be truth. You see, just having discernment isn't enough. There's an act of obedience that must follow otherwise it would make no sense that we could see all that stuff. God didn't bless us with an early warning system just so that we could boast about it. He gave it to us to use for our own safety (physically and spiritually). Please don't be like me and continue walking even though you hear alarm bells ringing. People who scream "don't judge me" are usually the ones you need to look out for first. They're the ones with messes we need to avoid. Of course, we are not God and subjecting someone to condemnation isn't our place, but it is our place to see a person or situation for what they are and act to protect ourselves.

Remember that discernment isn't just so that we can say we have it, but that we can act on it to save our own butts or the butts of our next door neighbours.

Be blessed and have a very discerning day.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

When God doesn't make sense

If you've been a Christian for a while you'll know that there are times when what God does makes absolutely no sense to you. Even if you've been a Christian for only a short time, most of the time you'll be at a loss trying to understand how the wide range of things that happen to you on a daily basis are supposed to fit together and work out for good.

So what do you do when God simply makes no sense to you? Trust Him. Simple answer right. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not the one that you want. You probably thought I was going to say something wonderful and profound and give you a kick-start on your week right? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you.

For the myriad of times that God will make no sense to you, you simply have to trust. You have to learn to trust that He has the Big Picture and He knows what's best.

So here I am preaching to myself 'cause right now, God makes absolutely no sense to me. What He's doing is driving me up the wall and if I let it, it may just drive me away from Him. I have a lot of questions that are going unanswered. I also have a lot of requests that seem to be ignored. Sigh. So now what?

Trust.

It's an issue that comes up over and over in my walk with God because in general as an individual, I have trust issues. I also have control issues, I wanna be in control of my life at all times. That's not good. Not for a Christian so it's safe to say that God and I are almost always in a tug-of-war. He wants my problems so He can solve them, but I keep taking them back because His way doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Trust.

That's all it takes really. Trust. Trusting that God knows what He's doing and that things will work out in the end. Trusting that God has your best interest at heart. Trusting that all the little pieces of the puzzle will come together nicely and will create a great big picture that makes perfect sense.

Ah Trust. Five letters that feel like five mountains that need to be moved. (Faith moves mountains right? But that's a whole other sermon)

At the end of the day, when God makes no sense, when the things he does seem like they're meant to hurt us, not help us, when He is silent and when it seems like He is doing nothing, remember to trust. He's still in control and always will be. Trust. Trust that He knows what He's doing and He's doing it in our favour. Trust that His way is perfect and complete.

Trust.

Now it's time to follow my own advice. (You should too).

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

All we need is Love

So my mother died. Wow.

One year ago, she found out she had stage four ovarian cancer. It was a rough battle, one that I could barely handle. Many of my posts in the last year were inspired by the depths of the pain I felt during her illness. Only one person could have brought me through all that...God.

My mother was a Christian for the last 44 years of her life. She served God faithfully throughout that time, never looking back. Everybody who knew her, knew of her dedication to Christ. It was easy to love her as she had the heart and attitude of one called to serve. She was a mother to all my friends and countless others. Some even called her mommy too. I remember inviting friends over to hang out or sleep over and their breakfast/lunch/dinner would be brought to them in my room whilst I had to go in search of mine in the kitchen.

She was one of the most self-less people I knew. I remember when I was still a teen, there were two young boys who moved into our neighbourhood. We're a small island and an even smaller community so almost nothing goes unnoticed. Those two boys were under privileged at best. Within weeks they were left on their own by a mother who went off to a different island seeking work. For six months, those boys were on their own. They had no food and no money. The older of the two was no more than 12 years old at the time. But those boys didn't starve. Not whilst my mother was on watch. There was no way she would allow that to happen. I remember her waking early every morning to prepare breakfast for them. I remember her adding items to our grocery list just for them; we weren't rich and money was always tight but on the meager amount of money that she had she would find a way.

Things like that helped shape me. I didn't understand her drive or her desire to help others at the time, but I knew that she was something special. She didn't have a college degree or even a secondary school education, but she did what she could to change the world and her efforts were not in vain. Several years later, the older of the two boys met me in a store and couldn't stop thanking me on behalf of my mother. He was all grown up, gainfully employed and a contributor to society. Only God knows what would have happened to that boy had my mother not stepped in.

Years later, I saw her kind heart in action again with another neighbour,  this time an older woman near the end of her life. This lady had two children, a boy and a girl, however none of them were around to help her. She was getting older and weaker and unable to even feed herself. So my mother stepped in. For a period of about two years my mother bathed and fed this lady. Again, from her own money, she would buy food, medicine, adult diapers and pay the utilities at the house until the lady passed.

Just before she died, I visited her and she was rather weak. Now, she was the one who needed to be bathed, fed and changed. Somehow though, she couldn't bare the thought. She said something that really struck me, she said "The very same thing I did for Ms. G , somebody now has to do for me".

In that one sentence, I learned the lesson of a lifetime. You NEVER know where life will take you. One year ago my mother was a plump 62 year old rocking her senior years. She had better fashion sense than me and probably had more fun than me too. By the time she passed away,  at age 63, she was completely emaciated;  the cancer had sucked the life out of her. She went from strong and vibrant, to frail and helpless in almost no time at all. None of us are invincible. Nor are we immortal. My mother lived a very simple life and she lived it with a very kind heart. She worked hard and took care of her six children the best way she knew how. Even to her death, she was more worried about us than about her own self.

So today, I've learned the lesson that my mother obviously understood. In Matthew 22, Jesus gave two commandments, love the Lord thy God with all your heart and love your neighbour as you love yourself. Mom followed both those commandments till the day she died, and I will too.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37- 40

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Choice

The one thing that makes us distinctly human, is also the thing that is our undoing.  Every other created being acts mainly on instinct but we human beings can choose what we do or don't do. Choice is an amazing thing. It makes us feel liberated. Slavery was built on a simple premise, remove choice and you control an entire race.


God could have chosen to create us with no choice. It certainly would have been much easier to deal with us, and perhaps the world wouldn't have been so screwed up. However, what kind of world would that be. We'd be walking around like a bunch of robots, doing exactly what we were programmed to do. When God was creating us, He was thinking like a lover. He loves us and He wants our love in return, but he wants us to choose to give it. Can you imagine being with someone who loves you simply because it's what they were told to do. Life would be pretty boring. The sense of excitement you feel when you're chosen would cease to exist. Love would become boring. I believe God foresaw all of that, that's why He gave us a choice.

Choice however, is a dangerous thing. Like I said earlier, it makes us feel liberated. The option is ours to love or not, to do right or wrong, to live or die. But with that liberation comes great responsibility. The current state of the world is testament to the fact that many humans have chosen wrongly. We could choose to love and share, instead we chose to fight for the earth's resources. We could choose to tolerate and embrace racial differences, instead to chose to enslave one another. Every day, humans make choices to do the wrong thing. We spend billions on all kinds of weapons whilst all over the planet, children are starving. Most tragically, we use our freedom of choice to hunt everywhere for a god or examples of one when the real God is standing right there in front of us waiting for our love. Choice.

A lot of us have made the right choice and have chosen to love the one true God, but that's where it starts and ends for some of us. We have chosen to be lukewarm there after, ignoring the mandate to be different, to show love and to spread the gospel. Instead, we choose to live our lives gathering worldly possessions and ignoring the plight of our neighbours and friends. We choose to walk past a teenager who desperately needs guidance. We choose to walk past our neighbour who desperately needs help feeding their children. In our minds we say that it's someone else's problem. So we continue on to church, to work, to school, to play, choosing to ignore the mandate given to us by our saviour, not recognizing the opportunities to be a blessing.

Today, let us to choose to love, to live and let live, to trust, to share and to live right. Just like a parent, God gave us choice expecting us to choose the right things, instead we broke his heart and chose everything else but Him.

Use your freedom to choose and choose wisely.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Bad Apples

I love spending time with my friends, they're crazy just like me. We play a lot, laugh a lot, and encourage each other even more. However, I've noticed a phenomenon and I'm quite sure it's true for any circle of friends, especially Christians. It is very easy for one bad feeling to flow through a whole crowd and make every one bitter. Your mother wasn't lying when she said one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Now, I'm not calling any of my friends bad apples (ok guys, so be nice to me next time we meet), however, I've noticed that it's very easy for one person's feelings or perception of a situation to flow through the group. That can be a good thing at times, but it's also a very dangerous thing. It's kind of like going with the flow of things when you were a teenager. In a group, it becomes harder to think like an individual.


You watch news everyday and the most heinous crimes are usually performed by a group of people acting together. Take for example the infamous gang rape of the young student on the bus in India. Rape on its own is violent, but a group of men acting together make it much, much worse. I think it's because each evil heart combines to make something horrible. Each person's sick ideas competes with the last until the beast they create is too hideous to look upon.

In Christianity, it is very important to think for ones self. In a crowd, lots of emotions and feels can come up that cause you to lose focus. They mess with your faith and leave you feeling so weighed down that you may even move your eyes from God for a while. Be careful the suggestions you entertain from others. Be careful what you agree with and please, don't just go with the flow. If somebody is unhappy or disgruntled, try to assess the situation from all sides. There may very well be a piece of the puzzle that you are missing.

Most importantly, don't let the bad feelings from one or two persons in your group be transferred to you. If you are in agreement with them, check your own heart and see why. Is it genuine or are you just going with the flow.

Have a blessed day.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Dry Places

As a Christian there will be moments,  days, maybe even weeks or months where you don't quite feel like a Christian.  I call it being in a dry place.  You literally feel like the life has been sucked out of you.  You find it hard to pray and even harder to have faith. You become skeptical about everything around you and you even begin to question everything you know to be true.

It's a very scary place and a very scary prospect for any true Christian.  Are you alone? Definitely not.  When I went through it the first time, I thought I was the only one who could be so ungrateful to have experienced God and let a few challenging situations make me doubt Him,  so I hid it and I struggled with it on my own. The result of that was it lasted way longer than it should have. Later, as the years wore on, I heard friends alluding to the same things.  Their experience sounded exactly like mine.  I wasn't the only one who had tasted God, seen His greatness then fell into a slump.  I've realized now Christianity seems to have a sort of cycle.  There are moments of tremendous faith but there are also moments when you feel so discouraged it's hard to even look to God for help.  In those moments it is paramount that you recognize where you are.  That is the first step towards dealing with it.  If you don't recognize that it's a seasonal desert experience,  you will sit and be complacent and accept your lack of faith as truth.

I'm not sure why we all go through those moments, but I do know that the devil capitalizes on every second of it.  During that time, you are very vulnerable to lies, deceit and any other attack that is thrown your way. 

Always be aware of your spiritual position even when you are at a high point, it will help you recognize the low points.  Also, recognize the low points for what they are: low points. Thirdly, recognize that you do not have to stay where you are. Ask for help, call your spiritually mature friends and have them pray for you. Most importantly, look to Christ, He knows when your faith needs bolstering. I've found that He always presents a very small situation that just blows my mind (like the little bird on the wire).

The dry place doesn't have to be a bad thing. Learn from it, teach others what you've learnt but most importantly don't stay there and don't let the devil get a foothold on your mind whilst you are there.

Have a faith - filled day!

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo 

Praise God in Advance!

Our praise is one of the most powerful weapons that we as Christians have. There are many things that we can accomplish through our praise that we could never accomplish one our own. But what is praise really? Praise is the act of expressing approval or admiration. It is also the offering of grateful homage in words or songs as an act of worship. When we praise God we are telling him that we admire Him, we admire his intervention in our lives and we admire his creations.

When we praise, we confuse the enemy

In 2 Chronicles 20 we see that the Israelites were being threatened by the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Meunites. All these armies came together to fight against them. They formed a very large army and Jehoshaphat did not think that he would be able to beat them. Before he did anything, Jehoshaphat inquired of God what his next move should be. In verse 15-17 God sent his word to Jehoshaphat comforting him. The Lord said to Him “Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

When I read that verse, I was comforted in my Spirit. The Lord was saying to Jehoshaphat that he need not fight, the battle was not his, but God’s.

Jehoshaphat heeded the word of the Lord and assembled his people, but he did something very pivotal, he placed the singers in front first. Not the warriors, but the singers, the praisers, those who would usher in the presence of God. Jehoshaphat knew that God resides in the praises of his people so he set up a praise. By the time they neared the enemy, their camp was in disarray. The allied army began to fight among themselves. God used the praises of his people to confuse the enemy and they were defeated without even having to fight.

Praise also moves the hand of God

In Joshua 6 we see how the Israelites marched around Jericho for seven days upon the counsel of the Lord. On day seven, when they shouted, the wall of the city came tumbling down. Now, it is not the shout of the people that brought down the wall, but, upon hearing the praise, God moved on their behalf.

Praise God in Advance

Sometimes it is necessary to praise God in advance. We may see a problem that seems insurmountable and nothing that we could ever do would get us out, but praise unto God in spite of our circumstances lets him know that we trust him and we trust his judgment. It says “God, I know that you have my best interest at heart and that you will move on my behalf.” It also says “God, even if you don’t do what I want you do for me, I will still praise you.”

Praise solidifies our relationship with God and shows him that we appreciate his goodness. I encourage you to praise God in advance of your victory and watch the hang of God move on your behalf. Watch him confuse your enemies and watch your situation turn around!

PRAISE GOD IN ADVANCE!


Joana James - Author of Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret