Weekly Devotion

At the end of Moses' life, he made a speech of a lifetime, he recited a song to Israel to be sung by all their descendants and he proclaimed a blessing over all the people and over every tribe. And just after the song, he said the following to them:

"Take to heart all the words I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of this law. These instructions are not mere words - they are your life!" Deuteronomy 32:46, 47

Let me repeat it again, the Words in the Bible are not mere words, they are our life! The words in the Bible are unique as it is God breathed. The Bible was not written by 40 odd writers, no, the Bible was written by one Author, the Holy Spirit. He guided each writer and He used them to proclaim His message to the world in order to bring life to us all. This is also confirmed in Hebrews 4:12:

"For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."

Peter also confirmed that the new life within us comes from the Word of God:

"For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living Word of God." 1 Peter 1:23

It is thus clear that the Word gives life, it sustains us and it exposes us for who we really are. So why is it that our time spent in the Word is so limited? Why do we have time to read Face book for 2 hours and have only 5 minutes to read the Bible? Why do we have hours on end to page through magazines, but only a minute to page through our life giving Bible?

Now none of the above is sin, but why do we have time to do that but no time to read what really matters? I am convinced it is because the devil is the best marketing agent this world has ever seen. He knows how to lure us in, he knows what makes our sinful nature tick and above all he knows the damage it can do to his kingdom if we read the Bible more than 5 minutes a day. We as Christians need to take a stand and call his bluff. We need to take the Word that gives us life and we need to study it. We need to digest it and let it become part of our lives. We need to let it soak inside and become revelation knowledge, which will bubble out life to all. We need to bubble out the spring of life inside that is ours for the taking. We simply need to make the time to read it and pray it into existence in our lives. We are such a privileged generation to have the Bible so easily within reach. We have so many translations and can always have the Bible with us on our phones, Ipad's etc. Moses' generation never had that. We don't have any excuse whatsoever. We need to obey the Words that give us life. We cannot breathe without it. Give it a try, it is more than worth it!

Father, thank you for Your precious Word. Thank you so much for the privilege of having access to Your life giving fountain. Please forgive us when other things become too important. We want to lift Your Name on high. In Jesus Name. Amen

Just after Moses' long speech, he continues in a song reminding them of everything he just said. The song gives a brief history of Israel. It reminds the people of their mistakes, warns them to avoid repetition of those mistakes and offers hope that comes only in trusting God. God had commanded him to sing this song:

"Now write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Teach them to sing it, so it might serve as a witness against them." Deuteronomy 31:19

It is wonderful to see how music is used throughout the Bible. And here music is used to help people to remember what Moses just told them. A song is easier to remember than a speech. So this song will remind them of what they are supposed to do and it warns them to not drift away from what God had planned for them.

There are several more examples of music in the Bible. King David used music to bring comfort, to sing praises to God and to teach people His ways. Miriam also used music to celebrate their great escape from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. And in Revelation 15 all the people who had been victorious over the antichrist and the devil will stand before God, holding harps that He had given them. And they will sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb:

"Great and marvellous are Your actions, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous deeds have been revealed." Revelation 15:3, 4

Spiritual songs are powerful and have the ability to lift you up and to provide Word to you when you need it most. I have found spiritual gospel songs uplifting and nourishment for my spirit. I truly feel more alive when I listen to it and sing along. I feel God's presence so much closer when I use music to praise and worship Him. God has also used music to speak to my heart. It has happened a couple of times that I had to make a decision of some sort and a gospel song will well up in my heart confirming just what I had to do. I have found it very helpful.

I have gospel music on as often as I can in the car, not that all secular music is evil; I just like to have the closeness of God surrounding me. It gives me peace, it teaches me and it brings me into His presence. My wish is that the same will be true for you. Let us enjoy the wonderful gift of music and lift our hearts towards Him.

Thank you God for music. Music is such a wonderful gift from You to be enjoyed. We cannot wait for the day that we can all be in Your presence and sing along the orchestra of all ages, praising and loving You. Amen

Moses has finished with his last and final speech. I can imagine it must have been an emotional moment for him. He has led the Israelites for forty years and even though he was still as strong as ever, God forbid him to go on with them into the land promised to them all, due to his disobedience. So now Moses hands over the leadership to his faithful assistant, Joshua, to lead the people into their heritage. Now as I thought about it I realised that Joshua must have been scared. Moses was a wonderful leader, someone to look up to, a true beacon to them all and now he, Joshua, need to take over. Moses has always been there, and now he will have to go forward on his own. He has big shoes to fill. And Moses knew that Joshua was scared and uncertain and therefore he encouraged him in front of all the people:

"Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to give their ancestors. You are the one who will deliver it to them as their inheritance. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:7, 8

Joshua received encouragement through knowing that God will be with him. It was a big task lying ahead of him, but God will be with him and will lead him. God will bring about the victory and Joshua will be the vessel.

And if God tells you to do something today, know that He will be with you too. Jesus promised that He will with His last words before ascending to heaven:

"Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20

Big tasks might be lying ahead for some of you. God might be expecting big things from you at this moment. You have prayed about it and you simply know that God is leading you in a certain direction. Then I want to encourage you today. He will be with you. He will lead you and He will guide you. At the end of the day it was God who gave them the Promised Land, it was not the might of Joshua as a leader that brought them victory, no it was God, and he was just the willing vessel. Remember that when the Jericho walls in front of you might look insurmountable. God is not expecting you to bring about the victory, He will do that, you just need to be willing to be used.

Jesus is right beside you, urging you on. Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged. Also don't try and be someone else when assuming the position. Just like God never told Joshua to be just like Moses, He doesn't expect you to be someone you are not. Just be yourself, God knows you inside and out and will use you just the way that you are. All that He expects is obedience. The rest can be left up to Him.

Thank you Father for choosing us in the role You want us to play. Please give us the courage to stand strong and help us in being obedient to You down to the tee. We want to make You proud. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Moses' final speech is drawing to a close. He has stated the way that God wanted them to live, he has warned them of the consequences if they fail to obey and he has told them of the blessings that will come their way if they do. He also told them that a Prophet like him will come to them later on and will tell them everything that the Father tells Him to say (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). This did indeed happen millennia later when Jesus came.

And then Moses starts to end off with a final call for commitment to God in Deuteronomy chapters 29 and 30. He urges them to remember God in all they do and if they do they will prosper. He states that the choice between life and death are in their hands.

"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey Him and commit yourself to Him, for He is your life. Then you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Deuteronomy 30:19, 20

And today the choice is pretty much the same even thought we are under a new covenant. We also have the choice between death and life in our lives. Even though our covenant doesn't state obey and you will prosper, disobey and you'll be cursed, we can experience life or death in our spiritual lives through our actions. Jesus boldly proclaimed life to all who believed in Him:

"I assure you, anyone who believes in Me already has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of Life!" John 6:47, 48

"It is the Spirit who gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life." John 6:63

In Jesus is true life. In Him we are born again and this new person inside is filled with the life and breath of God. This new life is eternal and will last for all eternity to come. We are part of the Body of Christ and we must move in His kindness and love towards all.

However we as Christians can also choose to ignore the voice of the new life within us and rather listen to the call of the world and all its lusts. If we do that, we will experience a deadness within our souls, all because we are inviting sin into our lives that leads to ultimate death. We should never allow the voice of this world to crowd out the Voice of God in our lives. We should focus our energies on all that He wants us to do and not on what is expected of us by those that have no regard for the will of God in our lives.

I urge you (and myself!) today, to choose life and not death in our spiritual lives. We should consciously make a decision to do everything that brings life to a situation and to steer clear of everything that brings death. We should all learn to listen to God's Voice within to bring life to situations where death reigned, to bring healing where hurt were supreme and to bring love where hate resided. Only then will we begin to bubble over with new life and only then will His perpetual spring become a reality in our lives.

Father, please help us to choose life. Help us to choose Your ways above all. Help us in our struggle against the voice of this world. Lord it is such a persistent voice, nagging us every day. Please block out our ears, that we hear only Your Voice. We want to follow Your life giving ways, no matter what. In Jesus' Name. Amen

God with us. Let us rejoice in it.

God's grace is abundant and everlasting.

Experience Him in the happy smiles of the baby sunrays in the early morning, or in the golden road that the full moon spreads out over the ocean when peering over the horizon.

Know that He is there when you look at the promises in each colourful rainbow.

Listen to His whisper as the little waves caress the beach, but also hear His reprimanding voice in the scary stormy waves.

Feel His soft touch on your cheek when you sit in anticipation of hearing His voice in the stillness of the early morning.

Stand in awe when He unrolls His carpet of breath taking flowers when the winter is done,and when you look into the eyes of a newborn, or hold the tiny body close to your heart.

Praise His Name for every little bird that glorifies Him even before the day begins, and be thankful for every precious breath, as life is short.

God is with us, because He loves us!

In Moses' last speech, he warns the Israelites of several things and one of the things that he explicitly warns them about is:

"The land God gives you is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in you plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations, and laws." Deuteronomy 8:9-11

Moses warned them to still follow God, even when things go well. It is such an interesting human characteristic that seem to jump out when things go too well. There are several examples in the Bible. For one, the Israelites didn't listen to Moses. The moment they settled and enjoyed their wonderful land, they started to back slide and soon enough they were worshipping the idols of the pagan nations around them. Another example is when David was firmly settled as king over the nation with a strong military and sound economy, that he didn't listen to God and committed adultery and murder. At the height of his rule, he experienced the low in his spiritual life. And let's not forget Solomon. Solomon literally had it all, wisdom, wealth, peace, servants, women etc. But he fell to a spiritual low, because he loved his wives too much and allowed them and the nation to worship their different gods, resulting in God tearing the kingdom in half after Solomon's death.

And today it is no different. It is clear to see that it is difficult for people to stay humble and focused on God when they can have anything they want. It is difficult to trust God for anything when you can just buy it yourself. It is difficult to trust God for your health, when you are surrounded by the best medical expertise. It is difficult to trust God for advancement in your career, when everything just falls in your lap. It is difficult to consult God about anything, when you are blessed with wisdom and superior intellect. It is difficult.

But we need to learn from the mistakes of the Israelites and realise that ALL we have are from God. Sure we work hard, but He gives us the ability to do just that. He is the One in charge over our lives and we should give all glory to Him. At the height of our prosperity we should humble ourselves before Him and give Him all our praise. We should live with gratitude in our hearts and never ever become proud. We should spend time with Him and seek His face in all we do. Our careers, our lives, our health, our dreams are all in His hands and it is a safe place to be.

Thank you Lord for looking after us. Thank you that we can know that our paycheque doesn't come from our employer, but from You. Thank you for Your blessings. We live in gratitude for all You are doing in our lives. We praise You. Amen

I would like to wish each and every one of you a happy new year. May this year be the year of breakthroughs in your life, may this be the year where you break an addiction that you have been struggling with, may this year be the year where you make peace with others and yourself, may this be the year where you are healed, may this be the year where you finally accept yourself as you are, may this be the year of new friendships, may this be the year of new beginnings, may this year be the year of promotions, may this be the year of spiritual success, may this be the year of healing and restoration in your marriage and may this year be the year of family.

And why can I wish you all this? I can wish all these blessings on your life, because we serve a good God. We serve a God who looks after His children, a God that sacrificed His own Son for you, a God that has your best interest in mind, a God of the impossible. And that excites me. I am trusting God this year for the impossible. I trust Him for the impossible in every area of my life.

When I read through the Gospels, I read of one miracle after another. I read how Jesus healed hundreds, if not thousands, I read how He calmed the waves of the sea, I read how He walked on water, I read how a whole battalion of soldiers fell backward when He told them that 'I AM' (John 18:5,6), I read how demons fled when He rebuked them, I read how He provides food to thousands with mere five loaves of bread and two fishes. And so I can go on, God is a miraculous God.

Just read the whole Old Testament and you will see how He wiped out an entire Egyptian army, how He consumed a whole city with fire, how He destroyed the whole earth in a devastating flood, how He provided victory for the Israelites by one act of obedience by men like Jonathan and Gideon, how He demolished Jericho's thick wall, how He burned up sacrifices with fire from above and so I can go on. And today God is still the same, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never changes.

And we are His children. We are the children of the mighty King of the Universe, the children of the One Who can literally do anything. Stop and take in the significance of that. You have a Father with a wallet that will make Bill Gates' wallet pale in insignificance. You have an almighty Father backing you all the way. All you need to do is two things. One, you need to love Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your might and two, you need to obey Him (As I pointed out in my Christmas message 2014).

And that is my message from God to you this year. Love Him and obey Him. It sounds so simple and straightforward, something that you have heard so many times before. But are you doing it? Or are you maybe being disciplined for not doing what you are supposed to be doing? A good earthly father disciplines his children for not obeying him and for being disrespectful, and God is no different. If this might be the case, ask His forgiveness and correct what needs to be corrected.

Then spend time with Him and make Him your first priority. Be adamant to hear His Voice through His Word, the still Voice within, peace within, receiving confirmations and then obey. I repeat again, obey. If you don't know what He is saying to you, read the Word and obey the Word, then you have already come a looooong way.

I can feel the excitement well up within me. I believe God for the impossible this year. I believe that we will see miracles as we stand in awe with arms stretched out in His Presence. I believe that He wants the best for us and I am so excited to see what it is. There is no better place to be.

Father God thank you for a new year. Thank you for the privilege of having a new year to dedicate to You. We love You and stand in awe of Your glorious Presence. Father we trust You for breakthroughs, and miracles this year. We trust You for the impossible. We cannot wait to see what You have in store for us. Give us the strength to obey You no matter what. In Jesus' mighty Name. Amen

I wanted to write a special Christmas message to you all and God blessed me with this one. I am sure it will be a blessing to you as well.

God gave me the following text verses:

"You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever, His Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants. May everything you have said come true." Luke 1:31 - 38

Now I am sure you have all read this account a number of times. But today, two things struck me. First of all, Mary's instant obedience. Once her question on how she was going to become pregnant was answered, she immediately responded and submitted to God's will. Now we might think it is an easy thing to do, but in those days it wasn't. A young unmarried girl who became pregnant was potentially disastrous in those days. If the father of the child refused to marry her, she would most likely remain unmarried. And if her own father rejected her due to this scandal, she would be forced to beg or to yield to prostitution just to stay alive. It was almost like a death sentence.

Luckily today women can also educate themselves and find decent jobs to uphold themselves, but in those days women were literally thrown to the wolves if they were not cared for by the men in their lives. So Mary took a huge chance to accept what the angel said and to offer her life to God. It was not an easy thing to do, but she was obedient to God and we still talk about her obedience today, more than 2000 years later. And because she was obedient to God, God made it all work out for her. He gave Joseph a dream to confirm that what she said was true, and so he married her. God also blessed her with more sons and daughters. And even at Jesus' cross, He still looked after her, and asked John to care for her, which he did.

And the same goes for us today, God might lead us unto pathways that are not easy to stay on. He might ask us to do certain things that are totally out of our comfort zone. And it is then in times like that that we need to follow Mary's example and be obedient. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow Him. We need to obey even if it is difficult. And when we take the first step in obedience, we will notice that God paves the way. He will help us, but first we need to take the first step. And when we do, we will see that nothing is impossible with God.

And that is the second thing I want to emphasize in our text today, nothing is impossible with God. He gave Elizabeth a child in her old age without all the modern technology that we have today. He gave her her heartfelt wish and not only gave her a child, He granted her a leader to pave the way for the Messiah to enter the world. John was one of the greatest people that ever lived.

The impossible is possible with God and if we step out in obedience, we will see it manifesting.

My wish for you all this Christmas is that you will be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and that you will follow Him in obedience and experience the miracle of the impossible made possible. Hallelujah in the highest heavens!

We praise You Father! We praise Your Holy Name! You are the God of the impossible. We are excited to see You move as we step out in obedience. Please help us to hear Your Voice loud and clear, so that we can follow You wherever You might lead us. Thank you for what Jesus came to do for us, we are eternally grateful. Amen

In Moses' speech, he reminded the Israelites of several things. And one of the wonderful things he reminded the Israelites of is that God chose them, not because they were wonderful and an impressive nation, but simply because He loved them. Listen to these beautiful couple of verses:

"You are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be His own special treasure. The Lord did not choose you and lavish His love on you because you were larger or greater than the other nations, for you were the smallest of all the nations! It was simply because the Lord loves you, and because He was keeping the oath He had sworn to your ancestors." Deuteronomy 7:6-8

Isn't it a wonderful couple of verses? God chose them because He loved them and not because they were the most amazing people on earth set on following Him. In fact they were wayward people set on disobeying Him, and yet He loved them. He had to discipline them along the way, but just like a loving Father disciplining His children out of love.

And when Jesus came, He chose us, Christians, to be His people, forming part of His body. Isn't it wonderful news? Listen to this:

"You didn't choose Me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using My Name." John 15:16

Jesus chose us. What an amazing privilege, one that we should cherish. He chose us not because we were good enough. He chose us not because we were the most successful, the richest, the most dedicated, the most popular, no, He chose us because He loved us and called us to be His holy people just like the Father called Israel to be His. Peter states this beautifully:

"You are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, His very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

We are God's holy nation, His very own possession and His kingdom of priests. He believes in us and chose us to be His own. He knows all the difficulties that we will face on this earth, and yet He chose us, because He knew we will be able to handle it. He chose us to be His representatives, He chose us to be His light in this dark world. He radiates love and peace and gives us hope in this world. No matter what, we can have peace that He loves us and we can be enveloped in His loving arms when everything gets too much for us.

And on the flipside, we must also take our responsibility as His chosen ones seriously. We cannot live like we want to and we cannot just say what pleases us. We have a responsibility to present the best of God to the world. We should portrait His loving characteristics to a fallen world and draw them to Him. That is our main aim.

I wrote a couple of prophecies the other day for individuals and when I was finished, I realised that they all had one thing in common, at the end of the day, God wants to use each one of them to reach others and to build one another up in love. And I realised that at the end of the day all of our destinies collide. We are all called to work towards a common goal of building up God's Kingdom and of praising and loving Him. And therefore we, as a chosen people, should stand up and be counted.

Thank you Father that You have chosen us. We live in absolute gratitude that You have extended Your love towards us. Thank you for this privilege and also assist us in presenting all that You are to a fallen world that so desperately need You. Please help us in our mission. In Jesus' Name. Amen

The Israelites as a nation and the Jews today have always been very good at making religion a part of their everyday life. They have always kept up with their religious practices, even though their religion later on became more of a ritual than a true love for God. Just think of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. They were the most pious of people, walking the path given to them by God through Moses. Their hearts were of course not right as we all know, but they were following their religious practices down to the tee and looking down on all those who didn't.

The point I am trying to make is that religion was part and parcel of the nation of Israel. Why? Because they shared it continually with their children.

"Repeat these commandments again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:7-9

If we look at these verses, it basically says, talk about the commandments of God all of the time. And not only talk about it, live it, let your children follow your example. The Israelites were very good at this and they still are. We can learn from them. Even though Jesus has freed us from the obligation of adhering to the Jewish Law, we still need to tell our children about the Old and the New Testament and how it all fits together.

The problem is we are so rushed in our modern day society. If I look at my own life, I drive my kids from swimming lessons to tennis lessons to reading lessons to hockey lessons and by the time we get home we need to do homework and prepare for the next day. It is only at night that I maybe read them a Bible story at night, but for the most part I am too rushed to talk in length about God. And I realise that this is not right. Even though I try to live by the principles of God and try to be an example to them, I fail sometimes. I try to tell them about God in between the rushing, but somehow it doesn't have the same effect. I have come to the realisation that if we don't have time or energy to tell our kids about God, we are too busy and we need to make some changes. I know that I have to do this as my greatest wish is that my boys will grow into mighty men of faith. But even though it is my greatest wish, I spend the least amount of time developing it.

We can learn from the Israelites. We need to teach our kids the walk of God. We need to create in them a love for God and His ways that they never want to depart from it. How do we do that? With the help of the Holy Spirit and time spent in prayer. May God lead you and me as to the best way to ingrain in our children, the holy, timeless ways of God.

Father, at the birth of our children we promised to lead them in Your ways. But as time goes on, we are more and more pressed on all sides and we forget to teach them. Please forgive us Lord and help each parent reading this today as to the best way to present You to their children and to guide them in Your everlasting ways. In Jesus' Name. Amen