Woman, God has not forgotten you… Hold on to your faith

Woman, God has not forgotten you… Hold on to your faith

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me.

Word

Exodus 14:13 Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.

Each and every one of us has that one person whom they know that will always be in their corner when things get tough, someone who always has their back when they face hard times. Do you know who’s yours? Do you know who sees you as that person? Let me ask you this, can you confidently stand and say that Jesus is in your corner? That He has your back? I’m sure most you answered yes and even managed to give some names. I’m sure you said yes and amen, Jesus is in my corner… But I want you to consider this…

It really sounds good, assuring and even comforting to know that you have someone in your corner, even more when you say you have Jesus in your corner. You really feel like you can conquer anything anytime. But what does God say? He says that he is FOR you (Romans 8:31), that he will fight FOR you. Now picture a boxing ring… the two opponents stand inside the ring and beat each other up like you won’t believe. The coach and assistant stand in the corner with water and towel so that when the boxer comes back, beaten up to a pulp; they wipe the sweat and blood from him and give him water to drink. They don’t fight for him but he takes his own punches and pain. But now, Jesus says… I will fight FOR you; I will stand in the ring for you and fight your fight. He’s not going to stand in the corner and cheer you and support you while you fight, but he will be in that fighting ring, fighting for you. You do the cheering through your praise and worship.

How many times have we found ourselves in situations where we really feel like we have fought the “good” fight and yet find no results? Be it unemployment, abusive marriage, loneliness and sickness. How many of us turn to bribing when we see that we have been waiting for houses with no “luck” so we end up paying whoever to make sure our names are on the lists? How many of us have turned to “connections” in exchange of some or other activity with the hope of finding a job? How many of us have been in and out of relationships because we are in some pursuit to find amabambo ethu (even women are looking for amabambo endingayazi ukuba kwakususwe ntoni kuye kwenziwa bani sele umntu elukhangela nje). How many of us have turned to traditional Dr’s trying to find healing from sickeness, attributing them to Ubuntu bethu forgetting that we acquired a new identity mhla samkela uYesu? How many of us have been trying to have babies but with no success, turn to adoption by accepting that we are just not meant to have children. We go through all these things knowing that he said he would provide for us (Psalm 132:15 I will surely and abundantly bless her provision). Now, I’m sure we can all identify to one or two situations from these and the answer is plain and simple, God takes time. Sometimes it feels like you’re all alone and that he is just watching you suffering, sometimes it even feels like he has left though he said that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Today he’s reminding us that he has not forgotten us.

The bible tells us to pray without ceasing and in all things give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:17)... I have been praying and praying and he is not giving me anything to thank him for cos he doesn’t give me what I ask for. Well… does this mean pray for the same thing over and over again? That’s like nagging isn’t it. Reading this scripture I pictured my five year old asking me for porridge for supper, she would say “mama ndicel’ipapa” five times in one minute. And what usually frustrates me is the fact that even though I have acknowledged her and responded that I will do it, she will continue and her tone of voice will even change and she will start crying even. Isn’t that what we do to God when we nag him about the same thing over and over again as though he said he wasn’t going to do it? Didn’t Jesus say that whatever we ask in His name we will get (John 14:13)? Didn’t he say when we pray believing that we have received what we pray for then it shall be ours (Mark 11:24)? So shouldn’t we then, pray, believe and receive by faith and give thanks before we hold it? Isn’t faith what pleases God and moves him? If you praise and thank him for something you have asked for before you can hold it in your hands, doesn’t that constitute great faith? Remember Daniel? God said to him that he had heard and answered his prayer on the first day he prayed. But the angel of blessing was wrestling with the angel of darkness until he defeated him. In the meantime Daniel still continued with his worship and praise. This tells me that praise disarms the enemy. Ask, believe, receive and give thanks…

Ok, let us say... You get a call from a friend telling you that they are taking in people at their work and that they’ve spoken to their boss and that chances of you being employed are pretty good. You thank them as though you have the job in your bag. You go there with such confidence that it’s already yours. Chances are, you will be disappointed right then or later… Now, why is having this attitude towards God so hard? Even with seeing that we have it in black and white but still but it’s still very difficult to believe that God has already given you what you have asked for. Faith in God pleases him (Hebrews 11:6)… it gets him excited and when he’s excited, rest assured that he will excite you. He will give you those “too good to be true experiences” that are so hard to believe. That experience you know that it is the very answer to the prayer you have prayed, but still you don’t believe it’s here. Hence I say, when it is too good to be to true then know that it’s from God because he is good and he only does good things, great things and when he does them, he does them abundantly more that you ask or even imagine.

Everything you ever need has already been provided for you, it has already been granted. All you need to do is believe that it is yours and thank God for it. It is not Pumza saying this but God, in his word.

I have fallen in love with the song by JC “Press towards the mark of the high calling”. God has called us for greatness, to have and do great things. Now, to me this means… Jesus is the mark for he is the High Priest; he has been given the name that is above all names, the name that all knees bow to… The bible says that Jesus is the Word! ... we are to press on him, we are to press on the word of God and we shall be that which he created us to be, we shall have all that we ask for in his name.

Isaiah 43:18 Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Forget all the disappointments; make a commitment to trust God and his word. Pray, believe and receive… give thanks to God for all that he is yet to bring forth in your life. Trust him and only him and you will see great exploits!

Happy Women’s Day and may God bless you

P

Have you ever?... Well... God has not forgotten you

 Do you ever get that feeling like God has forgotten you? Where you wonder why all these bad and painful things are happening to you? You sit and you look at your life and you can actually count in one hand the not so bad things and yet need your hands and feet and even borrow someone else’s in order to come close to the number of all your painful moments. Have you ever got to the place where you look around and you see almost every one of your friends sharing all the good stuff that’s happening in their lives and you wonder what it is that you could be doing wrong… why aren’t your prayers being answered, you wonder if God is even listening to you let alone answering. Have you ever been in a place where you feel like your life is just standing still, sometimes even taking a few steps back. You dream and have all these visions and yet you are unable to do anything about them, and you start asking God why he placed them in your heart in the first place if he’s gonna be the one to close doors for you to fulfil them… when you don’t get answers you just plain assume that well… maybe they were never from him in the first place.

Have you ever been in a place where you just feel all alone and you wonder if the people in your life are there because they pity you or because they truly cared, and if they did care for real… why in the world? Have you ever felt hopeless, useless and worthless, where you even ask yourself if it is all worth it, if Jesus is worth it? I mean, he’s there and yet all these things are happening to you so what’s the point. Have you ever got to that point where the only way out is that you be out… literally? And even dare God saying that if he wants you to live then he won’t allow you to succeed in taking your life? Have you ever been in a place where you find yourself accepting that good things and life are just not for you? Have you ever convinced yourself that maybe God wants you to be sick, that he wants you to lack and be miserable and you really fool yourself by saying it is God’s will and that it is well? And you even support these thoughts by finding all kinds of faults with yourself and believe that this is all punishment because you did this and that or didn’t do this and that?

I may not know your answers to these questions. But I can relate to the fact that while one goes through all these thoughts and emotions. Tears often stream down your face and you find yourself crying as if there’s not tomorrow. You utter the few words that you can manage to say, easiest being “WHY”. Most times than not it’s not followed by any words but just by a pain and a lengthy scream that just feels like your jaws are locked. You know the words you want to say in your heart but somehow you just cannot utter them. And you wonder if God sees what you want to say and if he does will the silent prayer be enough for him to move even an inch to your aid.

In the midst of the above, the questions, the crying and screaming and the hurt, have you ever pictured God’s hand on your shoulder, another one wiping your tears away. Have you ever heard his voice repeating every word that you’re crying in your heart and following with an “I know my child, and trust me”? Have you ever heard him remind you of his word, asking you “didn’t I?”? Have you ever had a conversation just like a child has with their parent who’s trying to comfort them and trying to get the story of the problem? Have you ever heard him say “didn’t I say I will never leave nor forsake you?” (Heb 13:5) when everybody you know seemed to be distant and you felt alone and you wondered if he was there? Have you ever heard him say “didn’t I say I have plans to prosper you and give you a hope and future and not to harm you?” (Jer 29:11) when you asked why things weren’t going well in your life, when you asked why you are hurting so? Have you ever heard him say “didn’t I say I took upon me your infirmities and took away your diseases?” (Mat 8:17) when you cried about being sick? Have you ever heard him say “didn’t I say I will return to you all that has been stolen from you?” Joel 2:25) when you cry about losing your job, loved one, house or anything that belonged to you?

Have you ever heard and felt God with you, in you and around you in the midst of your pain? Have you ever heard his comforting voice telling you that it will all be okay, just trust him and you feel an overwhelming peace within you? Have you ever heard him assure you time and time again that he is working all things together for your good (Romans 8:28), reminding you that nothing is impossible or too hard for him? (Mat 19:6). Has he ever reminded you of the power, authority, strength and ability he has placed in you for you to be more than a conqueror of any challenge you came across (Luke 10:19 & Rom 8:37)?
I have… in the midst of it all… the noise, the pain, the tears, the confusion and uncertainty… I have heard him say it will be okay. I have felt his arms around me and heard his voice telling me to trust him. I have heard him telling me over and over again just how much he loved me and just how much I meant to him. But what has stuck in my mind is when he said to me, “I have your name engraved in the palms of my hands (Isaiah 49:16), I will never forget you. I am with you through it all and I have enough love, strength and power to take you through it. Will you have faith and let go and let me be God?”

And so, I surrender all to him who knows all. To him who is able. To him who holds me as the apple of his eye (Psalm 17:8). Will you do the same and watch the deliverance of the Lord? Will you not be afraid of the vast army that you see now and only see by faith your God fighting and defeating the enemy for you? (Exo 14:3-14).

God loves you and he will never forget you :-)
Be blessed!

P

Today, 11 years ago...

On this day, eleven years ago I sat across my then Gynecologist as he shared the results of my HIV test which he took and precaution for my pregnancy. The result was a Positive, marked by a plus sign which was circled in red...

Honestly, today has just been one somehow challenging to even depressing day for me. It could be because of everything that has happened especially in the last 12 months. I'm just reflecting on all these years and for once in a very long time... I have no words to describe what is happening inside of me, in my mind, heart, body and soul.

One thing I am sure of though is that God has been great. Through these years He has kept me and for that I will live my life glorifying and blessing and lifting up His holy name...

It has been 11 years and I am still standing and going strong. No treatment, no illness. I am going from strength to strength because of the Mighty Blood of my Jesus Christ.

Hold on and hold out. Our God is the God who heals and takes away all our diseases...

Stay blessed!!!

P