Sometimes in life it becomes so easy and actually a better option to hold on to the past. Ironic as it may be, we see it to be the safer option because hey, it’s something that we already know and used to and we may even add that we also know how to deal with it. Now, when I, Pumza Mooi talk about the past, I am referring to those things that didn’t go well; those things and even people that I would rather forget about (but after learning from them off course) because they brought pain and suffering into my life…. it is inevitable that we would meet people who would hurt us at some point in our lives. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have been those people to others. We have people who would rather forget that they met us, people that we were once their prayer items. All it actually takes is to look back a bit and wonder if a certain event in our life was not an answer of a prayer of someone whose heart we broke ;-). There will always be someone with whom we don’t agree or have conflict with. Some we find ways of forgiving and moving past the ordeal some we forgive and just can’t find a way of moving past it. Some, we have difficulties forgiving let alone moving past the painful experience we had with them. Some people are our biggest mistakes, some led us to our biggest mistakes and again, we could have been mistakes to some. Whatever the case, at some point; there has to be some letting go to be done. I mean who really wants to hold on to something that brings pain every time they think of it? Something that could have possibly destroyed their life? Something that attest to their foolishness? Well, we do because it’s better than “jumping from a frying pan and straight into the fire”… mmhhhh!!!
If it happens that we become conscious of the effects of a particular experience and the need to move on from it and put it in forgiving and forgetting land. We also need to be aware of why we do it and how we’re gonna do it. Most times, when we choose to move on from painful situations we tend to do it because we are running away, running away from dealing with it and learning from it. Dealing with a painful experience sometimes means having to relive the ordeal, which is our way to healing. Often times we find ourselves in the same situation, only the next time with a different cast. All because we never dealt with the previous one and therefore never receiving the lesson that was meant to come with it. So then, it is important that no matter how hard or painful it is; we deal with the problem at hand so that we learn the lesson and find healing and the freedom to move past it so that we can really call it a past and one that does not haunt.
So we say we would rather stay with “the devil we know” than going out there and be hopeful for a saint that we don’t know. Then again, when you go out on your own hoping to find this saint, chances are you might just find yourself another devil. Hence it is important that we walk this journey of life with He who is life itself. Not only is he life but also the giver and saver of life and soul. In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells that he has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Off course we know that there’s not much prosperity if we surround ourselves with negative and destructive people. So, isn’t it a great idea to then allow God to identify, locate and position the people we need in our lives? Instead of holding on to the people He is busy removing for the main purpose of that they don’t feature in the future that He has for us?
Ok, let me see if I can unpack this a bit… we know that the most toxic of relationships that we find hard to let go are those of a romantic nature. This could be because we invest so much of ourselves in these relationships that we really never see ourselves getting out of them. No matter how destructive they may be, we always find ways of justifying why we cannot part with them. We hear statements like… “He knows me; he accepted and loved me knowing my background. Who would love me knowing all that he knows?”.” We have known each other since we were kids, I know no other man but him. How do I start over, I am so used to him. It will be such a challenge getting to know a new person”. ”What will people say. Some of them were jealous of us anyway they will say we told you so”. “He’s done so much for me, how do I leave him now?” Now, I am in no way condoning chop and changing men. However, if the dude abuses you, cheats on you and treats you like trash. Isn’t he worth leaving? If anything else then… shouldn’t our love for ourselves supersede our love for the person who makes us feel less of who we are to a point that we start hating ourselves? This to me doesn’t make sense… When we buy clothes, most of the time we choose certain items because they make us feel good. They make us fall in love with ourselves so much that we can’t stop looking at ourselves in the mirror. When a person compliments us, we find ourselves saying “I know” instead of “thank you”, LOL!!! I know I do this and sorry to say but it does feel goooooood;-). So why not be with a person who makes you feel good and love yourself more then?
Theeeeen, you get the friends. Lord have mercy!!!! Strangers you meet and click and connect and share with. And one day, the person changes totally for many possible reasons. Betrayal kicks in and trust is lost and things just don’t feel the same anymore. Friends would gossip about you, steal from you and treat you like the stranger that you came as. But still, we would defend our friends and hold on to this friendship even though it aint so friendly anymore. Our reason would range from “She knows too much about me, I have told her my deepest and darkest secrets, what if she tells?” “She’s been there for me in tough times; won’t I seem ungrateful if I stop being friends with her now?”
I am not even going to start with the family. Tjooo! This is just too much. “She’s my sister, how do I just cut her off?”. If she can stab you in the back and repeatedly hurts you then she’s not much of a sister is she?
What am I saying in all this… well… if it’s time to move on… move on right along… leave the past where it belongs, in the past… behind you.
Most times than not, God removes something in order to make way for a new thing. It’s just that we don’t really trust Him to deliver. We want to see first and receive before we let go. Just like a child holding a cool drink in one hand and reaching out to receive a piece of cake with the other hand, knowing very well that he has to reach out with both hands open to receive. But because he is so nervous about putting his cool drink down; he would risk the opportunity to have a slice of cake to go with it. This is what we do. God promises a brighter future and yet we sit in the dark, waiting to see a glimpse of light before we leave the place we are at. We want to have a man harbouring around us whilst we are in these toxic relationships, even develop some feelings for this other dude before we take the decision to get out. We want to find new friends before letting go of old. People to hang out with; even make the other friend jealous by showing them that we have new friends that we’re spending time with. With families, we try hard to get the attention of other relatives in order to close a void of a person that is still in the picture. My question is… how do you put a filling inside a tooth with rotten food in? Can you imagine the damage? The infections that will come from there? The smell even? And not to mention the pain? So why do we do this? Why do we not remove toxic people from our lives? Why do we hold on even when we see that they are destroying us?
The only answer I can come up with is that they seem as the better and safer options… ironic, yes… but in the mind of a scared person, a lonely person and a broken person. The devil they know is better than the saint they don’t know…
Solution... There is the One who never fails. The One who gave up His life, laid it down for you and me to find joy, health, wealth, peace, love and all the good things that we need. He is constant and never changes. He is forgiving and loving and unselfish. He is faithful and trustworthy. I am talking about Jesus Christ. He died so that we don’t have to go through all these things. And anyone who is in Him is a new creation. With Him the old is out and the new is in. He is the King and knows how to treat us like Queens… He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is the lover of our souls!!!
Stay blessed
P
My life... My story... My life is a story lived to make a difference, to touch and change a life worth living.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
True test of faith... keeping the faith
The true test of our faith is when we are going through hard times. As we attest to the power of God and his ability to save, heal, restore and provide. Are we finding it easy to do so when we are sick and hungry? When we are in need and when our world seems to be falling apart all around us? Can we attest to the deliverance of our Saviour when we are bound by the things of this world and things from our past? Can we really attest to the Omnipresence of our God when we feel all alone? Can we attest to his Omniscience when we are going through problems and just don’t have solutions? Faith is being confident in what we hope and assurance about what we do not see (Heb 11:1). True faith is in seeing with your eyes cancer and praising God for a clear mammogram result. It is seeing a regret letter of employment and praising God for a job. It is dealing with a rebellious child and praising God for a good and well behaving and prosperous child. It is looking at a divorce decree or a track record of failed relationships and praising God for a marriage that will be a ministry to him. It is seeing a report of infertility, age and all other factors contributing to barrenness and praising God twin boys who will be inheritors of your legacy.
When we go through difficult times, we pray and ask God for help; we ask and beg him to intervene knowing that with our might there’s nothing we can do. And during that time of prayer, we truly believe that God has heard our prayer and in no time, the answer will be evident… well until your child comes home late at night or has another relapse of drug abuse or does the very same thing you were praying to God to help you with. We pray to God for children, and we believe and we go through the process of conception and all… until we have our next period. We pray and believe our prayers are answered when we have asked for a job and we are called for interviews and before we even get home we get a phone call telling us that we were not successful. We pray and we believe God, we praise him with all we are when after a failed marriage, engagement or relationship we find a glimpse of hope of a God ordained relationship that will sure lead to marriage or a proposal even… Until a challenge comes and the strength and genuineness of the relationship is questioned. And then we start asking questions? Why God? Why? Why don’t you want me to be happy? Blah blah blah!
In all the above, we are only questioning God and his ability to deliver and be true to his promises for our lives. We question his faithfulness to the promises he made to us individually and personally. We question his truthfulness to his word. We may question the ability of the employers to see potential in us but really, God sees potential where there isn’t so it shouldn’t be an issue what they see or not. We may think that we are questioning our children’s ability to listen but we are truly questioning God’s ability to change and transform a person, his ability to deliver and his ability to raise a child which he created. We are questioning God every time we become discouraged when a prayer is not answered at the time we wish it would be. Every time we say that maybe God doesn’t want to change our situations, we are really saying that he can’t so we must just accept it.
Why should we really accept what God has not told us? Hasn’t he told us that he is the God who does the impossible (Matthew 17:20)? Who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19)?
God has said that his word never returns to him without accomplishing that which he sent it to do. If he has promised it to you, it will sure come to pass. No matter what happens, or doesn’t happen… if he has said it then it shall be so. Believe even when there’s no evidence of change, even a glance of change but believe that God has already done it for you and you will be testifying about it soon.
God aint no liar and he’s not about to start with you.
Stay blessed and keep the faith.
P
When we go through difficult times, we pray and ask God for help; we ask and beg him to intervene knowing that with our might there’s nothing we can do. And during that time of prayer, we truly believe that God has heard our prayer and in no time, the answer will be evident… well until your child comes home late at night or has another relapse of drug abuse or does the very same thing you were praying to God to help you with. We pray to God for children, and we believe and we go through the process of conception and all… until we have our next period. We pray and believe our prayers are answered when we have asked for a job and we are called for interviews and before we even get home we get a phone call telling us that we were not successful. We pray and we believe God, we praise him with all we are when after a failed marriage, engagement or relationship we find a glimpse of hope of a God ordained relationship that will sure lead to marriage or a proposal even… Until a challenge comes and the strength and genuineness of the relationship is questioned. And then we start asking questions? Why God? Why? Why don’t you want me to be happy? Blah blah blah!
In all the above, we are only questioning God and his ability to deliver and be true to his promises for our lives. We question his faithfulness to the promises he made to us individually and personally. We question his truthfulness to his word. We may question the ability of the employers to see potential in us but really, God sees potential where there isn’t so it shouldn’t be an issue what they see or not. We may think that we are questioning our children’s ability to listen but we are truly questioning God’s ability to change and transform a person, his ability to deliver and his ability to raise a child which he created. We are questioning God every time we become discouraged when a prayer is not answered at the time we wish it would be. Every time we say that maybe God doesn’t want to change our situations, we are really saying that he can’t so we must just accept it.
Why should we really accept what God has not told us? Hasn’t he told us that he is the God who does the impossible (Matthew 17:20)? Who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19)?
God has said that his word never returns to him without accomplishing that which he sent it to do. If he has promised it to you, it will sure come to pass. No matter what happens, or doesn’t happen… if he has said it then it shall be so. Believe even when there’s no evidence of change, even a glance of change but believe that God has already done it for you and you will be testifying about it soon.
God aint no liar and he’s not about to start with you.
Stay blessed and keep the faith.
P
Thursday, August 9, 2012
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
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
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