Fact is

Then our days are dreary and our clouds have no silver lining, then we know in our inner-being that Jesus lives and that He can heal the sick but, regardless of all our past victories and Biblical training, we lapse into unbelief and even despair. And it is in times like these that we need to be left alone to struggle our hopeless situation out with God for we will not be able to listen to encouragement even from a friend in Christ. Should advise then be given, we may only stir the waters and cause more trouble to ourselves. A wise thing would then perhaps be to find someone we can use as a sound-board, who can, like in a therapy session, listen to our problems without giving glib advice, and who will not, like Job’s friends, offer their side of the story (the typical social conversation). Very often, because we cannot readily find someone among our friends or relatives who will be able to listen us out, we will be forced to make it out with God, sometimes in prayer and sometimes in conversation with God. And sometimes we will not feel like bending our knees but believe me, we serve a COMPASSIONATE, LOVING, CARING GOD who knows us inside out! He knows we love Him and He knows we are just temporarily shaken and “out sinc” with Him. Our Lord Jesus is our Eternal High Priest who will always be ready to listen and to forgive us (Heb. 4, 5,7). Only, let us DO what He requires, and no matter how feeble it might seem to us, LET US OPEN OUR MOUTHS AND START PRAISING THE LORD FOR HIS ALMIGHTY POWER THAT CAN AND WILL LEAD US TO VICTORY! And sometimes our victory lies in acceptance of God’s Will for us (His direction which can lead us on a different path or understanding of our situation).

We may of course, also prefer to sit on our ash heap of unbelief and despondency until Jesus, in His Goodness, will come – and sometimes urged by prayers of our loved ones - with a gentle Hand to lift us up in His loving, caring arms. And when that happens, we will know anew that there is nobody like our precious Redeemer for nobody likes remaining in the dungeons of despair and bitterness indefinitely and that is why all the glory and the honour always first and foremost goes to JESUS! He alone, and He alone can forgive us our unbelief and our fear, our anger, also our distrust in Him. And because of His great mercy we will be able to once again taste His Goodness for He will forgive all our human failures full knowing that we are but dust! (Heb. 4; Ps 8).

One sure, proven way to ward off satan’s attack and to keep us constantly in faith mode, is to remember Jesus’ instruction to His disciples to never become lax in their daily prayer-life. The importance of bringing Jesus into our homes

Yet, even then, full knowing that we must take heed of the Master’s words, and fully realizing that we will have to keep focused on His Greatness and Strength, we still sometimes get trapped as satan will never fail to sneak up to us and lead us neatly into the net and sometimes not even so long after a session of Praise and Worship! What then happens is a pattern we may, in the process of our spiritual training and our so-call “sanctification”, take note of for we suddenly may found ourselves subtly steered into a dry period of resistance to prayer, even total absence of this sure weapon Jesus had given us so that we can live victoriously. And then Paul’s portrayal of the Armour of God (Eph. 6) comes to our mind: “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalitites, rulers and powers....”.

Now, is this really satan that causes us to stop praying? Isn’t it just we who allow this to happen? we indeed may ask. Well, I think we can, especially if we focus on remaining in Christ, always be in control of every situation as Jesus had indeed set us free on Calvary. And we do have the weapons of our faith we can use, i.e. the Name and the blood of Jesus but I know from experience that, especially when we are sharing accommodation or our home with unbelievers or Christians who don’t surrender their lives fully to Jesus - especially those who are dabbling in the occult in one or other way - we will have difficulties with our spiritual growth as we are then unequally yoked with unbelievers.

And if you perhaps may think that I am overemphasizing satanic attack, let me point you to Paul’s life for even he had his fair share of encounters with the Essenes who definitely left a legacy of occultic practices to their followers. And if it so happens that you are in close contact with those who have given themselves over to, e.g. mind-power, or even to spirits ruling this world, you will all the more have to watch and pray for your Adversary will try his utmost to make you stumble for he is jealous of your stand in Christ. He will never stop trying to win you back to his Kingdom of Darkness. Read Paul’s epistles and you will soon realize that a Christian who is not aware of satanic attack while keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus which should of course be our focal point, is a retired soldier! For once we realize that we will have to reckon with the strategy of our great Enemy, we will pray without ceasing for we may be required to stand in the gap for our loved ones who need our assistance as they have been slain by the enemy. And this is brotherly love!

Just as God’s Spirit imbues us with His Power, likewise does satan inspire his followers with his very own spirit (Ef. 10-11; Kol. 1.13) Only Christ’s Spirit is the Spirit of Truth whilst his is the spirit of error and lies (John 14). And because our environment definitely has an effect on our minds and senses, we know that this must have been the reason why Jesus was always seeking the solitary places for prayer. Not only did He want to get away from the crowds, but He deliberately separated Himself from the throngs, even from His disciples, so that He could travail in prayer (Heb. 5; also 2 Cor. 6.14; Acts 26.18). And many stalwarts in Christ have done the same. But it is not always practical to seek out solitary places especially in our modern day and age where crime is rife, and the densely populated cities sometimes make it even more difficult to make contact with God especially if you are finding yourself trapped in a huge block of flats, always acutely aware of whether your neighbours can hear your petitions and prayers! But should this prevent us from praying or will we only have to adapt and pray in a lowered voice, yet I know from experience that there is nothing compared to good, old Pentecostal prayer! For then the Spirit of God easily descends upon us and we then gain a strength that we will never be able to acquire with restraint prayer. It is up to us then to keep our personal problems safely between Jesus and us but surely, extolling God’s Goodness and His Omnipresence and His Kindness to you can be heard! Didn’t Daniel set the example?

Let’s motivate ourselves to bring the message of the Lord to back-slidden, lost Christians! Full knowing that we will also in this mission field will need the full armour of God for it is very often this type of make-believe Christians who will crucify you and shun your effort to bring them to repentance and to true worship! Let’s begin with the cleansing process and God will then automatically take us to deeper levels of the faith (Jude v3).

A Christian who is always ashamed of Jesus and the Gospel is not worthy to be called His follower! I know of a Christian who always prayed out loud and a well educated man was always passing by, stopping to listen to his prayer. Years later, this very man was approached to pray for the learned man who had then fell ill and Jesus saved him. He only then told the man of the effect his prayers had on him when he used to pass by his house. Oh, Lord, deliver us from evil, let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus for it is a power of God until Salvation for those who believe (Rom. 1.16).

The Lord showed this man that it is because of the fact that Christians have become ashamed of Jesus that He cannot use them anymore. It is easy to say “Hallelujah” in Church, but it is not so easy to break through prejudice, and resistance and to speak boldly of God’s love, His goodness and what He has meant for you – also what Scripture says about Jesus and His Name - on street corners, in Coffee bars, in shopping malls, briefly, bringing the gospel to strangers who are often backslidden Christians who are yearning for something to direct them back to Jesus. But then our lives must be packed with His Presence as they will, according to Paul, read us like open letters (also read Phil. 2.15). But let’s always pray for the leading of God’s Spirit so that He can direct us to those who will give us a listening ear. Jesus gave us carte blanche to work for Him and I pray that God will endue us so with His Spirit so that we shall have the courage to go out to the city gates and on the streets forcing those Christians who have become lax to re-enter the City bought with the blood of Jesus (i.e. to boldly aproach those who claim to be Christians but who are not, forcing them to repent and to return to the Lord (Math. 10). We must preach the gospel even though religious shackles are being placed on us many a time, for Jesus has given us this authority and the house of the Lord needs to once again be cleansed and restored to its former glory. All the objects of the Temple have to be washed and cleansed so that they can shine for the glory of Jesus who is on His way to fetch His bride!

We Christians who HAVE TO pray will have no option but to muster our faith with all our might, even though we may at times feel like postponing our prayers for a while, for postponement, if pursued, most of the times culminates into total lack of prayer.

I can testify to this effect as there were times in my life that I could pray unceasingly, practising the travailing prayer for hours on end, yet there were also times that I would be dead as a decapitated duck. But, and this is a salient Truth, the Spirit of God will then immediately register upon you giving you discernment of spirits,i.e. that there is something wrong and you will soon realize your inability to pray. The best then is to ask God to help you to make a new beginning for once the prayer-line has been broken, it takes a while to feel the Presence of God again. Not that He will be absent from your life. But it is as if we must then bond anew with God’s Spirit (Strong resistance to prayer and worship mostly sets in where there is a definite satan attack launched from somebody within your direct environment, e.g. somebody who practises meditation and visualization, using these weapons of satan to exert control over us. And the least satan wants is for us to pray to the Living Most High especially through his archenemy, Jesus, the Hope of our Salavation! We must know that satan belongs to the Kingdom of Darkness and he will go for those who are in Christ as they are the Light-bearers who will bring his evil works to light. His evil strategy is then laid bare, and the power of Darkness and the impact thereof is instantly destroyed (1 Cor. 4.5; Eph. 5.13).

What I usually do in a situation satan has taken control of and when I am directly affected, is to go into my inner-chamber so to say and then I will place my hand on my head as a sign that I, as God’s child, am taking control in Him over my senses which we all know are connected to our brain, the seat of our thoughts and emotions. This way I take every thought captive in Christ. You may perhaps feel to rather kneel down and I too am doing the same many a time. I will then begin to pray until I can feel the Spirit of God coming upon me. My prayer then usually goes: “Jesus, help me. Help me to pray, Lord, and please break this resistance of satan against my prayers”. I make use of the Name and the blood of Jesus as these are the strongest weapons of our faith (Rev. 12.11; Phi. 2.7-11). If there is still a resistance - and God’s Spirit will point it out to you - I will surrender to God’s Spirit and I will then speak in tongues or sometimes the tongues will be spoken and God’s Spirit will come to my help without asking. (I am giving this testimony not as if it is exclusively mine as many Christians have had the same testimony).

I would like to point out that sometimes, when bondage has been placed even on you as a believer, it can so happen that the unknown tongues that usually easily come to you in prayer, can then not be spoken and you will then immediately know that you have been placed in bondage. It is God’s will that a Christian who has received the gift of tongues, shall practice this Gift as I know from experience that it is one of the strongest weapons to bring victory to your own and to other people’s lives (1 Cor. 14.39; 1 Cor. 14.5; 1 Cor. 14.18). And don’t be put off by people who declare that tongues are from satan. Yes, there are satanic tongues. Yogi’s practice tongues and the Essenes also did the same but such tongues are not from God. But we, who are reborn, we should know the difference or else we will have to pray with motivation so that God can reveal His ways to us for His promise was not only meant for the apostles and their followers but also for those who are “far away”, i.e. including you and me (Acts 2.38; Acts 2.33). Today, this Gift is seriously neglected by the Body of Jesus and, ironically, it was meant for the assemblies to be used within the Church gatherings so as to bring abundant Life close to God’s people for in and through the tongues God’s Spirit will come in action in the midst of His people. Then the other Gifts will follow (1 Cor. 14.39; 1 Cor. 12.28). No wonder the assemblies that are gathering in God’s Name is so depleted and bereft of real Spirit power. I have experienced how God can create an atmosphere of praise and worship in assemblies where the Spirit of God is permitted and especially through the speaking in tongues that normally then, if permitted to flow freely, will break through barriers. Such barriers are normally man’s sinful attitude and pride that will keep God’s people forever away from sharing in His goodness unless a deliberate decision is made to revert to old-time Gospel Truths. But ever since pastors have become focussed on pleasing man and focussing on numbers in stead of bringing God’s message Biblically, that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit have been shoved to the periphery. That is why the Holy Spirit Gifts are not understood and as a result are willingly neglected.

What I usually do when I land in such a situation of bondage, is to wait upon the Lord in a spirit of expectation as I fully know that God’s Spirit will take over and at a given time – usually without much delay – God will endow you with His Power from on High and you will be able to use the gift God has given you. You will rebuke the evil working of satan and liberty will immediately set in. I have experienced how severe pain sometimes induced by occultic working, instantaneously stops. Praise God, Jesus lives! Sometimes it is necessary to rebuke satan in prayer but here again, I want to warn that we must not do this without first praying to God and then waiting upon Him so that He can work with His Spirit through us. James tells us to resist satan and that he will then flee from us. So we can rebuke his works over us and those who remain in Christ, those who acknowledge His control over us, those who acknowledge the power vested in the Name of Jesus and in His blood, can rebuke the works of satan when the Spirit of God will lead you so to do. What we must watch against, is never to fall into the habit of rebuking satan all the time, even to converse incessantly with satan for our mind should be set on Christ and not on satan. For our victory comes from Jesus who is at this very moment interceding for us with His Father (Heb. 7.25).

God usually uncovers the channel who is casting the spells His people for the Light will contend against the Darkness for He who hates witchcraft will rebuke it as it can even destroy us if the evil is not nullified through Christ Jesus (Acts 8 – Simon was a Sorcerer; also read Acts 19.18-19). Why? Because God always works in a specific way.

The same will happen when we pray for a sick person who cannot receive healing through prayer. God will sometimes have to uncover the cause of the sickness before healing will set in and sometimes it takes prophecy to uncover the hindrance – very often an unconfessed sin – or sometimes God will use an anointed who will speak in tongues and through the Spirit of discernment, God will uncover the ploys of satan and He will also direct our attention to the guilty person who is casting the spells especially if such a one is operating in close proximity. Why does God then not just break the bondage? Because the one who does it, will try his tricks recurrently until God opens our eyes as He, the All-Seeing God, wants us to pray so that He can either bring the thoughts of such an evil mind under the blood of Jesus, or turn the thoughts of the Wicked away from us. Sometimes He gives us wisdom to avoid the provocation of jealousy which is a great impetus in the hands of satan and which can wreak havoc on the lives of innocent people. The minute we come to realize that Jesus was sent into the world to deliver man from satanic control, we will know that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary in the lives of those who lay claim to the sacrificial death of Jesus (Acts 10.38). We must also never resort to anger against the Wicked, even though it is sometimes difficult not to give way to a spirit of revenge as evil persons can do much harm even to God’s work. Paul reminds us : 1 Thes. 5.9: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath....” Also read 1 Thes. 4.7 : “For God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life” (1 Thes. 3.13). Judgment Day is coming when God Himself will take revenge (1 Thes. 1.7-10).

Luckily, and on average, few Christians are being placed in such extreme circumstances as previously referred to and where they have a direct and daily onslaught against them. Paul was under constant attack from evil people (the Essenes who called him a spewer of lies) and I know of Christians in our day and age who are suffering under such constant satanic control. Yet, Jesus gives victory time-and-time-again. By bringing praise to Him within our difficult situation, victory will eventually set in for God rewards those who diligently seek His face. But while awaiting the outcome, our perseverance can be taxed to the exteme. Those Christians who think that they will enjoy spiritual freedom and victory all the time, must never forget that the majority of the world population forms part of satan’s Kingdom and each and every believer must therefore watch and pray for testing time comes one or other time to all those who are truly in Christ (James 1.12).

I have also in my life-time experienced that Christians fail to pursue an active lifestyle of prayer and dedication because they are either married to a man or woman who are not fully committed to Christ or they don’t focus their interests around Christ. In other words, their hobbies and sport, interests, their leisure time, etcetera, become more important for them than their daily walk with Jesus. If prayer is not encouraged in a household – i.e. where the couple is not equally yoked in Christ - very often the one who wants to pray either lapses into a state of ceasing to pray or such a believer have to take strict measures to even diarize a time for prayer. Prayer therefore is discipline. We must not give way to feelings of laxity and unbelief even though our circumstances may be negative or our attention may constantly be burdened with household chores and official responsibilities. Sometimes it is just necessary to deliberately upset our routine so that we can get to the feet of Jesus for prayer is the foundation of our Christian walk. Sometimes it is necessary to force ourselves to set a time aside for a prayer request, even for fasting a day or two which in itself can be a great sacrifice (yet it eventually gives a beautiful reward). It is necessary to make time to kneel down before God as the act of kneeling will induce a spirit of prayer. We will become aware of a higher Force Who will then come to our aid, Jesus Christ our High Priest and Intercessor. We ourselves must see to it that our prayers are being said on a daily basis and we must utter our prayers verbally, even though we may not feel like opening our mouths. A Jewish prayer goes like this: “Lord, open my mouth so that my lips can praise Thee”.

How can we break through the barrier that is hindering our prayers and is it necessary to pray for all people?

The Spirit of God will always come to our aid the minute we surrender to God Almighty through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour but sometimes it may take a little time before contact with God is made and it is during this period of suspense and waiting upon the Lord that we will have to practise discipline. But once we break through the resistance barrier, and after bringing utterances of praise and worship (i.e. “Praise God”, “Thank you Lord for your Goodness”, etc., uttered verbally and repetatively) we will experience the touch of God’s Presence. The best way to begin, is of course to firstly confess our laxity in prayer and asking God to draw us closer to Him. He will then break the spirit of resistance that has set in and He will simultaneously be glorified in and through us. The end result? We will enjoy a unity with Jesus for prayer will bring healing to our souls. The Talmud teaches that the prayers of those who pray for others before they are praying for their own needs, are quickly answered. Jesus taught us to even pray for our enemies but in the case of somebody who ...“has left the way and has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctify him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10.29), we can hand such a person over to God and, for our own sake, plead on the blood of Jesus to take control of such a person’s thoughts for such a one has given himself willingly back to satan and he will do all in his power to also overthrow your faith, sometimes resorting to wicked schemes and much satanic evil.

If we allow satan to crush through our spiritual fence by stopping us to pray, all we have worked towards to grow spiritually, all we have assembled in our spiritual house through hard work, perseverance, even faithful prayer may then be destroyed unless we can stem the tide through an act of faith

It is necessary for us to know that our SPIRITUAL WALK is not an airy fairy, happy-go-lucky gospel. It indeed requires PERSEVERANCE AND A DELIBERATE EFFORT DAILY to remain within the Abiding Place. Yet, and this has also been proven umpteenth times by so many stalwarts in Christ, namely that Jesus will step in and He will take over timely, however drawn-out our negative situation might seem to be. Sometimes we may even feel that He has forsaken us, but then is the time to TAKE REFUGE IN HIS WORD for His Word is the evidence and the platform on which we can and must remain standing when failure seems to have set in! Satan thrives on appearance and confusion. These are his mightiest weapons and once we can discern his presence within a situation, we can and must immediately cross-over to faith mode and do what the Word of God prescribes. Our proven strategy is faith and prayer for it is through faith that we can take hold of victory and prayer generates faith. Sometimes we can bind the forces of satan by performing an act of faith as Jesus instructed Peter but then we must live an active prayer-life, even resorting to fasting so as to fortify our spiritual composition, just as the natural supplements we are taking, will strengthen our bodily functions. It is also beneficial not to neglect the use of our spiritual sword for satan will unexpectedly slink upon us, he will come in a subtle way to us and when we least expect his planned attack. Then even just an ordinary phone-call from a loved one who is surrounded by trouble, may rock our faith to the brink of despair as we may then not understand why it takes so long before God is going to answer our prayers!

I have time and time again found that if we can then immediately start to confess Scripture – i.e. “He will never leave us nor forsake us”, “Jesus is Alive and among us”, or say firmly, “He has never forsaken us”, etc. – also if we can then manage to buckle our knees in prayer immediately beginning to glorify God’s faithfulness and His goodness, then the storm will soon pass away and we will soon hear how God has brought the outcome. I was amazed to find that the Talmud discourages the use of Scripture (in sickness), but we must know that the Talmud is not a complete reflection of Judaism. It contains the interpretation of sages, even folklore that is also not to be taken as absolute Truth. We Christians can and must use Scripture for Scripture strengthens our faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ.

We have the evidence and Testimony of the lives of our spiritual fathers and mothers in Jesus and of course of those who have given us the Holy Book.

If only we can persevere like those who have been taxed almost beyond their capacity. If only we can take their lives up to the finishing line as an example of perseverance for I have seen how satan can rock the lives of men and women who have been firm believers in Christ throughout their lives, even those who proverbially speaking, have had it all spiritually. Some of these examples in Chrsit have had the benefit of having seen Jesus in visions and divine appearances so real and alive that they could then after such encounters, thunder out the message of Salvation to many, yet even they had to face trials and tribulations to extremity. Even they had to bear the load of oppression and pain, and the end of some of those stalwarts in Jesus was a spectacle of suffering and hardship, like a beaten out object that would easily have been taken as having been plagued by God like Job, yet they were the ones who lasted till the end and within their suffering and buffeting of satan, they could still succeed in re-establishing the faith of those around them who could only shake their heads like Job’s friends who also lacked the wisdom to discern what was busy taking place before their eyes. We are being told that when Rabbi Akiba was horrendously martyred by the Romans (±135 A.D.) that one of his disciples snapped and cursed the gentiles and I am sure we cannot blame him for this Rabbi was skinned alive and martyred for days on end. Sometimes wonderful Christians and deeply spiritual ones too have had a terrible departure from life, yet sinners who have lived a wicked life, many times depart in peace and without the slightest suffering.

We are so apt to link sin with suffering, yet if we study the lives of the Biblical heroes, we will soon come to realize that suffering is actually the portion of the saints as, in Paul’s words, suffering makes us whole! Only a superficial Prosperity Sage will try to convince us that suffering is a no-go path for Christians as “Jesus gives us victory”. Sure, He does, but the Biblical Heroes and especially those who laid the foundation of the first century gospel, have shown us that suffering spurs us on to endurance and only then will we receive our reward. And it seems that their suffering has given us faith in God for it was Tertullian who said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Word (second century A.D.). Those who could suffer for Christ’s sake and who persevered in their suffering – and very often also inflicted through cursing and satanic attack - have also left a great Testimony to us for their forgiveness and their long-suffering have added to our faith in God. I know of a man of God who had just passed away and while a relative was standing at his bedside in tears, a wicked man who hated him intensely because of a prohecy God had given him, then entered the room. His face was burning with hatred and triumph while looking at the dead man! Now, this is the type of vicious hatred that is very often also linked to mind-power. It can cause the victim much harm as our thoughts are electrical impulses that are being sent out especially if we concentrate intensively on a target. This is the type of hatred the early Christians prayed against asking God to turn away their enemies’ attention from them.

It is a pity that Modern day money-mouthed teachers have taught us that prosperity is the ultimate goal of our spiritual lives here below.

I have yet to see the truly Anointed of God wallowing in money gained from the Cross of Calvary! Their gospel is far too Christ-like and objective to procure a real monetary pay-off in this life. Many a time the truly anointed of God is so closely scrutinized that every little fault they might make is enlarged out of proportion so that the work they have done for the Lord is often completely negated. Most of the times it is a slip of the tongue which can happen especially if we are under stress. And anointed of God can also succumb to stress! Jeremiah warns against those who condemn a man for a word (seemingly hastily spoken or in anger). Many a time Christians are crucifying their brothers and sisters in Christ as a USA preacher had rightly said through the lack of wisdom and knowledge from God for had we known the circumstances of people we so easily condemn, we may just have thought twice before passing judgement. Had the majority of Christians been spiritual, they would rather pray for those God raises to the proverbial “standing in the gap” position, in stead of shunning such men and women of God for every little triviality. Many a time gross sins are overlooked and even weird apostasy propagated by some pastors are condoned. Why? Because we are apt to support those whom we like, those who strengthen our beliefs, while those who do the opposte are viciously slandered. Had we been real prayer warriors for Christ and His cause, we would be filled with God’s Sprit and we would then be able to discern right from wrong. We will not be unfair in our dealings with people and we will be full of compassion and gentleness. Israel had been harsh to her prophets and the Pentecostals have often followed suit. In stead of praising God for the Anointed that He raises as a standard – their anointing not so much them personally – they would rather resort to ridicule and contempt, strife and jealousy. Why is it so? We want our own, those closely connected to us, our own flesh and blood even, to be that instrument of God! Some Christians are so self-centred that they see themselves central to the gospel and to every event that is taking place. Instead of going with the flow of God’s Spirit by allowing Him to do as He wishes, we love to elevate ourselves above our fellows clean forgetting that God is making notes in His Great Book of all our actions and one day He will summons us before His Throne and pass judgment against those who have not promoted His cause on earth. Therefore, let us take heed and begin to pray so that God can have His way in the Body of Christ. Let us pray so that we can acquire the fruits of the Spirit in our lives so that we can be found worthy to gain eternal life. Let us not be like the Catholic Church claiming that each and every Catholic will inherit.

There are still many who cannot see what has been done to the Body of Christ through the Chrsitians’ and very often the pastors’ ungodly attitude. Many don’t realize how Jesus is still suffering because of the spiritual decadence that is permitted to reign in His Church and because the prophet killers are still alive in the Church, the wrongs done to God’s servants are never addressed. Yes, we may have a cloak of holiness around us, but are we indeed holy? How will we stand Judgment Day if we choose to remain ignorant concerning God’s spiritual requirements? (A Prophet is somebody whom God anoints, maie or femaile, in His appointed time, to bring about change and to lead God’s flock in the right direction and almost always through reprimand, rebuke and words of encouragement. A true prophet of God will confront sin and such anointing differentiates the true prophet from the false one (i.e. Jeremiah and Hananiah, the latter who spoke after the heart of the people). Such a person is anointed to bring God’s message according to God’s will so that God can accomplish what He has in mind for His People. A true New Testament prophet is somebody who is specially anointed by God’s Spirit and messages will either take the form of prophetic utterances through the Spirit of God, even visions, but the message will also be supplemented by anointed teaching and direction from the Word so that God’s People will know God’s will and they will be able to see the difference between apostasy, false teaching, misleading spirits, corruption within the Body of Jesus, etc. A prophet normally stand in the gap pleading for God’s people and therefore such a one will also admonish and instruct them to live in accordance with God’s demands. A prophets stands in direct counsel with God for he himself is instructed by God and we can gather this from the life of Jeremiah. The prophet is under obligation to say what God want him/her to bring forth and should the prophet fail to do so, God will keep him/her accountable for the outcome. God commands in the Psalms: “Touch not mine anointed” and anybody who prevents a prophet to bring his/her message by deliberately setting a stumbling block in his/ her way, will be held responsible for failure of the Prophet’s mission. Therefore Israel went into exile and for this very cause they were scattered across the face of the Earth.

are very often not prepared to weather the storm even with the Bible under our arms! Why? We may reason that we are in Christ, and we can serve Him with all our Yes, it is indeed easy to say, ”Praise the Lord!” when our stores are filled to our heart’s desire, it is easy to celebrate when our personal lives are going smooth, yet it takes FAITH to cling to Jesus when everything goes wrong! When our very existence is threatened to the extreme. Regardless the security many affluent Christians are enjoying today, there are still many of their brothers and sisters in Christ who are trying hard to make ends meet and who are daily living under the sword of economic uncertainty. Although absolute financial security remains a myth, some are more prone to experience fear more intensely as the loss of a job can mean total disaster not only to them but also to their children. Some may feel that they are, luckily, not in financial difficulties as they were wise enough to have made full provision for whatever may happen to them. Yet, will we ever be secure and fully in control? Even though some may think they are, there is something that can affect both the poor and the rich equally and which immediately can show us that only God is always in control. Earthquakes, in fact all types of natural catastrophes, can strike unexpectedly anywhere on earth and few things have brought this reality to us like the visuals we’ve had on TV on 26 December 2004 about the Tsunami that struck in the East. And few won’t stand in awe when facing an act of God, even then feeling the reality of fear at the thought of a terrible earthquake striking and finding oneself underneath a collapsed building. Many will immediately try to convince themselves that Christ is their hope in times of trouble, yet even in doing so, they cannot succeed in allaying their fears. Why? We are but human! as we are but human!. And while some of us may have the time and ability to pile security upon security, others are finding themselves so embroiled in problems of whatever type, that they don’t even have time for pondering on the intricacies of tsunami’s!

Many Christians are living in affluence and in stead of fearing God and giving a portion of their affluence to the Lord for the promotion of his Kingdom on earth, they would load riches upon riches, taking pride in their ability to enlarge their investments and of course, making provision for old-age and difficult times. Let us take heed of God’s rebuke and prophetic warnings:

There is surely no harm in making provision within limits, yet once we realize that God can blow all we have instantaneously out of our hands, such ones will reconsider. I can remember a prophecy given through my father’s ministry that there will come a time when people will throw their gold (their money) upon the streets as it will have no value. This anointed of God was never appreciated in his lifetime but I can recall many prophecies that I sometimes myself recorded in shorthand or the prophetic messages were recorded on tape. God had one morning given us a prophecy of earthquackes “where the earthcrust is not only thin but also thick “ and one prophetic message stated that the bottom of the sea will be rent “and you will see it”. He stated specifically that these earthquakes will be a sign of the approaching Return of Jesus. In 1960 God predicted tsunami’s (then not known as such in general), and specific mention was made of a catastrophe that will take place in Japan (“a flood wave will strike Japan and thousands shall be washed away”) which had indeed been fulfilled long before the one that struck Thailand in (Dec. 2004). But God had specifically announced, “Woe, Woe to the Chinese people for they will be hit by a flood.” To this day I am indeed sorry that the prophetic utterances couldn’t always be taken down in detail, especially during earlier times, i.e. 1961. I think we were not always negligent to record down the prophecies as most of the times the messages from God came so rapidly that it would have taken a shorthand speed of at least 180 w.p.m. to take each and every word down and it was then not as if one was fully prepared for speed writing.

I know from experience, that one must have enough paper available and be sitting at a desk or table to be able to record fluent speech. But, although most of the prophecies were taken down, however, sometimes only the gist of very important announcements could be recorded, yet we were priviliged to have had the notes afterwards available for they could then serve as confirmation of God’s existence after predicted events had taken place. One must also know that taking down notes manually is more difficult than using a recorder as a message coming from God is so awesome while it goes out under the unction of God’s Spirit that while you are busy taking the notes, doing your utmost to concentrate on each and every word going forth through the lips of a mere man describing in detail what was going to happen and why God permitted it to take place, and simultaneously describing a vision he is seeing while receiving the prophetic utterance, is not easy as the tone of the voice also makes an impact on the stenographer’s emotions. So utmost concentration on the actual words are necessary. I can specifically remember the earhquake that struck Turkey and especially the one that hit South America (Peru) when God simultaneously instructed a person who had a printing business to send out, in confirmation of what was going to take place, a call to all Christians to earnestly pray for “my people Israel as I want to reveal myself unto them” (This was either in 1972 or 1973 for I can remember the company I was then working for).

Love for others first and foremost begin with a love for Jesus and His gospel truth. We will also never be able to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12.31) unless we know the most important command (v29) “Hear, O, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This is the command God had given to Israel and which Jesus had reinforced in the New Testament. Once we know that there is but one God who had given His Son, Jesus, to us, we will start growing spiritually for the seed has then fallen in the soil of Truth. And once this Truth of a Living God who had sent His Son to save sinners, has settled in our hearts, love will be set in motion in our relationships and selfcentred man will be able to reach out to his neighbour in an attitude exuding love! For love is also equal to obedience: 1 Joh. 3.23 : “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, AND to love one another as he commanded us. John 13.34: (Jesus) : “A new comand I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This is the sign of true discipleship! Jesus came for one purpose into the world: To transform sinners (1 Tim. 1.15)!

Let those who are in pain, rejoice for the Lord can heal you right there where you are. Let those who are despondent, clothe themselves with the Name that brought hope to a lost world. Let those who are discouraged know that Jesus has never failed His own who have truly stuck through thick and thin to His promises. Know that He is constantly taking note of our efforts as both the Talmud and the Book of Revelations speak of a hand that is constantly writing down what we are doing here below (Read 1 Cor. 4-5). Yes, we can take refuge in the Name of Jesus and we can apply it to all our problems, for the Bearer thereof wrote His promisory note to all His followers ensuring His love for us, in His very own blood. So let us BELIEVE AND TRUST GOD FOR A VICTORIOUS OUTCOME and let us apply this all-powerful Name whenever we need victory over satan (Col. 3.17; Eph. 1.19-23).

I have experienced how God can give us victory time and time again when we come against the forces of the Evil One, not in our own strength, but in and through the Spirit of God. Paul indeed gave us the clue to be victorious while on life’s journey (Eph. 6.12).

Christians who have chosen to follow Christ, will always be a target for satan’s wiles and those who have never experienced an “undefined opposition” which is sometimes only through much travail and prayer, even fasting, broken against us, have never tasted God’s glory and the great power He has placed on the shoulders of His Son, the expressed Image of the Father (Col. 1.15). Yes, Jesus gave us victory on Calvary but be warned us to put on our armour so that we can be ready to ward off the attacks of the unseen, yet very much active, enemy through faith in Jesus. Is this paranoia? Not if you have seen what havoc depression for example can play on the minds of people. Not if you have taken notice how innocent peoples’ lives can be thrown into a turmoil and only prayer and a supernatural intervention from God could give new meaning to a broken life. This is something we don’t often see (i.e. true repentance) yet there are umpteenth testimonies of the reality of the Jesus we serve.

e we are shackled in difficult situations and the very last thing we then want to hear, is to raise our voices in praises to God! Yet, when Jonah began to praise the Lord within his desperate situation, God gave a command that it was time that His possession (!) must be spewed out on dry ground! Yes, we all know that God is sometimes testing our faith, even stretching our endurance to their utmost, but we can rest assured, even though we may sometimes doubt His goodness and while we are wasting away as if roasting to charcoal in the frying pan, that He always does what He does with a purpose in mind. But the greatest frustration sometimes is that we don’t know why we are being kept in the frying pan. And this is where submission to God’s will and perseverance in prayer, praise and worship can sustain us until God will act bringing us the outcome we so much desire but which is sometimes evading us because of our lack of performing His will, i.e. bringing Him our daily sacrifice of worship and praise (2 Chron. 29.30; 2 Chron. 31.2).

Prophecies coming from truly anointed are awesome and it is sad that God’s people have made a mockery of this special gift (1 Thes. 5.19-20).

The fulfilment of prophecy may elicit mocking from those who cannot wait for God to bring about what He had known long in advance, but when God brings prophecies into fulfillment, it is a sign that He is alive and that He still interacts with His very own (Hab. 1.2).

I can remember that God had given us many predictions of earthquakes and specifically mentioning the countries where these various earthquakes were going to take place. Many have already taken place over the years, but there are still big ones coming (one in Upper Africa – the prophecy went forth in South Africa – one in Australia, one in America, one huge one just before the coming of Jesus in Italy and one in South Africa when the “plates of the earth will move one upon the other”).

Let us take note of the suffering of Paul, the Apostle for the Heathen. See how he was flogged for the Message of Jesus!

Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning his suffering for Christ’s sake and he evidently did so to spur us on never to give up in the face of hardship (2 Cor. 11.16+). I have recently came across the way flogging was done even in the time of Paul by the Jews. Paul says that he was five times flogged this way (11.24). It was done as follows according to the Talmud (Auerbach : 143) Both the accused’s hands were tied to a post (sideways). The beadle of the synagogue takes hold of his garments and if they are torn or ripped in the process it is permitted for the chest must be layed bare. The beadle is then standing on a stone behind the accused with a strap made of calf’s hide – it is folded twice and then folded into four and two straps are then attached to it. The handle of the strap is one handbreath long and one handbreadth wide and its tip (presumably the strap) must reach the accused’s navel. He then receives one-third of the lashes in front and the rest on his back. The beadle never strikes the accused in either a standing nor a sitting position but only when he is stooped over (Deut. 25.2). The one who hands out the blows does so with all his might and with one hand only. While doing so the reader recites Deut. 28.58) and he is reminded of the words of the Covenant (Deut. 29.9). (Ps 1xxviii,38 was seemingly also read). If it so happens that the accused dies under the blows, the one who gives the blows is not guilty but should he give even one blow more that he should, he is “to escape into exile”. Should the accused, while being flogged, befoul himself with faeces, also urinate, he is then exempt from further flogging. Now if we consider Paul’s 39 lashes, God had definitely given him the strength to bear this harsh treatment in dignity if I may call it that! Isnt this Apostle then ideed the supreme example of perseverance? So, let us never bemoan our lot when we have to suffer for the sake of the gospel in whichever way!