I have to say I’m just too impressed with Him up there. No no he hasn’t blessed me with a lottery ticket or an extremely easy and comfortable life. In fact life for me has been tough over the last couple of days. But I just want to take a moment here, in the midst of all my hectic schedule and buzzing to catch this amazing glimpse of God’s faithfulness.

Too often times what happens is that we do ask for divine help; sometimes it comes, other times it doesn’t ; some will lift their hands with hymns of praise and thanksgiving, others lift their heads to the sky, troubled and weary looks planted on their faces demanding the Almighty give them an answer as to why their misery or pain isn’t over yet.

For me, I try my best to look at every hardship or issue as an opportunity for God to work to me. And believe me this is not my first reaction whenever problems come tumbling, especially if it’s one after the other. It wears me down and tires me alot.

However in the midst of all my difficulties and struggles, there have been hope and prayers answered, but more importantly and what really strikes me the most is God’s faithfulness to an unworthy and somewhat so-so holy guy. I mean at one end it’s wonderful to see your prayers being answered, but if you look back and just count the blessings that has been poured out to you, aren’t you so glad that there is Someone who is still faithful to you (even though you and I know he doesn’t really need you) ? I’m often reminded of the song by Casting Crowns “In Me” where in one of the lines at the chorus it goes like this:

How refreshing to know You don’t need me
How amazing to find that you want me

Yet the very fact that He still chooses to be faithful is a thought that just baffles me and at the same time inspires me and brings me to my knees. I love what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2 :13 :

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”

What this means in essence is that God, by very nature is a faithful person. It’s just who he is. Isn’t it great to have someone who is 100% reliable in your life? Someone who is there throughout your entire living period? In your ups and downs, your joys and disappointments.

We often look for commitment in others, we want 100% commitment when we assigned a task to a person, we expect total commitment from our family and spouses, well I can tell you person who meets that 100% commitment ; His name is Jesus, and yes you can call him God .

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17

By faith by faith by faith my friends!

The Romans were a just and honourable society at their best — we to this day have adapted our legal system a great deal from them. They understood the idea of righteousness. In this segement of the letter to the Romans they may have struggled in some ways with the aspect of faith, but they had a sense of righteousness. This for them was dignitas — worthiness/honour — a kind of code of how to treat your fellow man, and how to do so rightly. Loving your fellow man was an unspoken trust then just as it is now. Therefore, it is no wonder the very heart of righteousness by faith is linked to Christ’s ultimate command to “love one another”:

The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,”"Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”" –Romans 13:9

(Also consider back to Christ’s words: Matt. 19:19, 22:37-39)

If we consider the importance of brotherly love, the righteous power of that, it makes faith eaiser to share and understand and hold on to. For if we acknowledge the righteousness of that relationship we are led to trust in it. And this makes faith easier to understand as a trust — this trust we have in God often unspoken, requiring us to trust more than we can see to the point of feeling. An inner feeling of the inner being. When Romans 1:17 was written, it reached the Romans. They were familiar with deities in their pagan belief system which was empty and need based on their cultural needs (i.e. food, wine, war victories, craftsmanship, etc., house/family protection). Christianity offered them something they’ve always felt, that we have always felt inherently: the deep desire to have and hold love between our neighbours, and in doing this live righteously. Faith is the centre to this desire, trust in God, trust in fellow men via God makes sense.

Faith may not be the easiest thing to understand, but to have faith, to live in faith is to experience righteousness both with our great neighbour, God, and our fellow man. Thus this word to the Romans has a purpose: to illustrate faith by means of righteousness and teach us that it is this trust we hold and share which saves us at the base level of our faith.

So be it for the Romans. So be it for us.

from every minute
physical element
incomparable to God
we know
by faith
we go
and see and see
blind
we create time
by faith
and love
by faith

Your brother in Christ,
James H J Prophet
1 Peter 3:15

Grace by God
God by greatness
greatness by grace
grace by God

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Luke 18:27

We try so hard every day to claim great goals, claim ownership for all we are and all we do. Sometimes doing things by our means makes us feel accomplished, like we have purpose, that we make sense. But for all we are and for all we do, we are still nothing without God. Because on a bad day we have God and on a good day we have God. He is the constant by which we live — and that source from which all we do is possible. Lose sight of this and we lose sight of grace. Therefore, hold fast to that knowledge that we in all things can be in Him. Desire it. Live it. Because by Him everything is Possible.

Just some thoughts,
asinnerliketherest

Greetings and peace.

Many close friends have asked me why I believe it is important to baptize children and/or have argued against it. I have always tried my best to explain my faith in this, and have been careful to focus on the word of God. Without it any argument on baptism can have no foundation.

I believe it is important to baptize infants because it is the word of God in Acts 2:38-39 (and other verses as this paper will outline). I also know by grace through faith, and the Holy Spirit who acts as my conscious, that I am able to discern what God teaches us on this matter (1John 3:24; 1Kings 3:12; Psalm 119:125).

What does the Bible say exactly about baptizing infants?

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ ” –Acts 2:38-39

This passage indicates that the promise of the forgiveness of sins in baptism, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, is for everyone. For “you and your children” the verse says. Then baptism according to the scripture is meant for children (as much as for adults).

“For I will pour water on the thirsty
land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your
offspring,
and my blessing on your
descendants.” –Isaiah 44:3

This verse refers to this promise of baptism for “offspring” another word for child or infant.

The origin of baptism is actually much like circumcision:

“In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” Colossians 2:11-12

God’s people out of faith performed circumcision on male infants as a means of recognizing their faith in the Old Testament. In this they recognized the parting of sinful flesh, and reunification with God. As the Last Supper is similar to the Passover meal , so in Christ baptism is similar to circumcision. Just as circumcision is done to infants, so the Sacrament of Baptism is meant for us from infancy as a sign of faith to God. Baptism is meant for the forgiveness of all people, as circumcision is a dedication of the Lord’s people in faith to God in its day.

“When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home, ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.”–Acts 16:15, 33

“Household” in the original Ancient Greek text of the Old Testament is the word “oikos.” This word for the Greeks, and everywhere in the Ancient World would pertain to all who are “held in your house,” including slaves and servants. Even today this applies to servants. When someone in our family has a new baby we consider the child an “addition to our family” or “part of the family.” Young children are also considered part of our family. In our language today “family” is the equivalent to the ancient idea of “household.” Thus, when everyone in the household is baptized, this includes all children.

There are other verses that tell us the apostles baptized all people, which includes children:

“Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.”–Acts 18:8

“Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.”–1Corinthians 1:16

“The Whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” –Mark 1:5

A child is a person. Christ recognizes children as His people and even says we should seek God as children do in Mark 10:13-16. The Gospel in Acts 8:18; 1Corinthians 1:16; and Mark 1:5 tell us “all the household/people” were baptized. This includes children, who God considers people.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” –Matthew 28:19

Baptism is a work of God. This verse in Matthew is the word of Jesus. Rejecting Infant Baptism is to say that the Bible doesn’t say we should baptize children. The argument: children need to learn who Jesus Christ is before they can believe (in order to believe), because they can’t make the personal choice to chose Him is the work of man. For a man to say that he chooses God. We don’t choose God. This is what happens:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was in me.” –1Corinthians 15:10

By grace through faith in Christ Jesus we are saved, not by our choice. It’s the grace working in us that makes the choice, not us as men. We are what we are, each unique, from birth.

“But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man” –Galatians 1:15-16

He set us apart from birth calling us by grace. Note Paul says he did not consult any man. This includes himself, a man. We do not have to wait until we can consult our human sense of reason in order to be baptized because we are set apart at birth. We are called from infancy.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”–Ephesians 2:5

Our choice is not from ourselves, but by grace because the Holy Spirit is working in us.

In Matthew 28:19 God commands us to “make disciples” that is to raise our children and to befriend others of all kinds. “All nations” means here all people of race/age/physical shape etc. of all nations. Children are part of “all nations.”

From the following verses:

“If anyone causes one of the little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” –Matthew 18:6

“Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh.” –John 3:5-6

God does work through children and God works in the lives of infants. Do we have to wait until we are near adolescence for our lives to start mattering, because before this time there was no purpose for God in our lives? No! God matters in our life, for our whole life, even when we are in infancy.

Children can believe as seen in Mark 10:13-16:

“People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.”

Once, a six-year-old girl smiled to me and said, “Jesus loves me.” And I knew she knew God in her heart. Children can believe. God by grace through faith works through children. A forty-year-old man cannot say that he is closer to God and able to choose God because he has more experience and has better reasoning skills than a twenty-year-old man. Grace of God works in us not when our ability to choose is reasonable. This is to put faith at the level of man’s ability to reason. Faith and grace are not dependent on the reason of man. There is no set age we must wait to receive baptism. The Holy Bible encourages us to baptize infants, because faith works through us even then, as our parents raise us. Baptism is ageless. Baptism fosters faith and encourages a life of God in children.

For infants it is the only means which they can be born again as read in John 3:5-6: “Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh.”

Oswald Riess explains in What Does the Bible Say? “Infants, too, are to be baptized because Holy Baptism is the only means whereby infants, who, too, must be born again to enter the kingdom of God, can ordinarily be regenerated and brought to faith. . . The Bible says nothing about the fate of infants who die without Baptism. We hope that God has some way of saving them without means of grace. While He has bound us to the use of these means, He has not bound himself. However, we have no definite assurance on the matter. God wisely withheld this information from us so that we might not neglect to baptize our infants as soon as possible. (65, 68)

It is not the Sacrament of Baptism alone that saves us, but faith in God and recognizing that through baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and become reborn in Christ. Therefore, a person who is not baptized will not be condemned. The thief on the cross was not necessarily baptized, yet he was saved by faith (Luke 23:42-43). However, baptism is part of God’s law commanded by Christ himself that we should follow by faith. If we have the opportunity to be baptized then, we should, and if we refuse to when we can then we demonstrate a lack of faith in God’s law. The thief on the cross was dying and did not have the opportunity to get baptized, but he did show his faith to Jesus. His faith by grace saved him. To refuse baptism is to reject the gift: forgiveness of sins, which Christ offers us through baptism. It is the lack of faith in God’s promise found in baptism which will condemn you if you are not careful.

In confirmation part of the lesson I did on baptism from the lesson book: Pathlight: This We Believe by David Anderson and William Ney shows three modern parables for the case of Infant Baptism, which I would like to share with you:

“a) A mother talking with her child’s doctor says, “I won’t allow my child to have any immunizations until he is old enough to understand the reason for receiving them” (53).

The child in the same way is ill with sin, and baptism serves like an immunization, while God is the doctor. The doctor offers the child immunization from sin, but if we refuse to allow God to treat the child and promote good health, then the child could die in sin.

“b) A father talking with his teenage daughter says, “Before I’ll allow you to receive a driver’s license, you will have to list all of the parts of the engine, describe how the parts of the engine work to move the car, take apart the engine, and put the engine back together.” (53).

You don’t need to know that much about the car to drive it. Only the mechanic needs to know this much information. We know that faith works, but we do not know every little detail of the way God works faith in us. He builds faith in us in ways that are unseen. Much of our faith we can only explain so far, and the rest is trusting in God. In the same way, baptism is like a driver’s license and the Holy Spirit is the engine that drives us. Only God knows how the engine works within us. Rather than trying to pick faith apart, we should be exercising it, by using our license. Let the teen drive and taking driver’s lessons with them. This includes baptism, where we offer the license in baptism and then in raising the child teach the child to drive, watching over them, and leading them to become a good driver.

“c) The parent of a child you babysit says, “Don’t give my child a bath. I won’t allow him to take a bath until he understands the benefits of bathing” (53)

Every parent knows the importance of good hygiene, that in order to take care of the body, the body must be cleaned of its dirt. Baptism is the same thing for God. He wants to wash us clean from our sin. He wants us to clean everyone, even our children. We do not just wait until our children turn thirteen and say, to our very dirty kids, “Now I am going to explain to you the significance of bathing and you will be bathed for the first time.” No, bathing is like faith. We need to exercise it regularly. We need to provide for children a clean environment spiritually, which encourages them in faith. Baptism is a part of doing this. It is the first bath, the first step of faith for infants, if we offer it to them. Later, as their faith grows the children become in charge of washing themselves, yet are still encouraged by family and fellow Christians to wash. It will be their faith that confirms they believe in the benefits they received in baptism.

“Train a child in the way he should
go,
and when he is old he will not turn
from it.” –Proverbs 22:6

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.” –1John 51-2

“Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” –Acts 2:38-39

We must baptize children because it is the parents’ responsibility to raise the child in the teachings of Christ, and to encourage the Holy Spirit to work in infants, even while they are young. God has commanded us to baptize our children in the Bible. By carrying out His command we show our faith and we foster that bond that is between God and children. In the Sacrament of Baptism God offers the forgiveness of sins to all, even children, that they may be reborn by the water and the spirit. Until they are “reborn by water and the spirit [into faith] they are only born by flesh” (John 3:5-6). We cannot guarantee babies need to be baptized so they can go to heaven. However, if we do not encourage faith in infants, then we fail to do the Lord’s work in guiding children as they grow in faith. Faith cannot be forced, but it can be encouraged. It is important to recognize that baptism is not forced upon us. It is a means by which we can encourage others, an offering and a gift God gives freely, and a sacrament in which our parents/guardians/fellow Christians can demonstrate their commitment to encouraging our faith.

Your brother in Christ Jesus,
James H. J. Prophet
1Peter 3:15

Works Consulted

Anderson, David and William Ney. Pathlight: This We Believe. St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1991. (Where the confirmation parables come from. Also a good source for young teens to learn about the power and benefits of baptism.)

Concordia Self-Study Bible: New International Version. Ed. Hoerber, Robert G. St.
Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1984. (A scholarly read of the Bible which helpfully footnotes and links many verses. It also explains the relationship between circumscision and baptism in the footnotes on Colossians 2:11 and 12 very well.)

Luther, Martin. Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanations. (Which is the basis of
reading the bible carefully. In the extra explanations Luther goes into detail about the importance of Baptizing infants with Biblical support.)

New International Version Archaeological Study Bible: An illustrated walk through
Biblical history and culture. Michigan: International Bible Society, 2005. (This Bible is a useful tool for describing the history behind baptism.)

Riess, Oswald. What Does the Bible Say?: A book of instruction in the Christian Faith.
International Bible Society, 1985. (The lesson plans of this book are excellent for anyone needing to explore Christian Issues, the Sacrements, Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, etc. Its approach on baptism is in depth and concise, and, where I have drawn much of my line of reasearch from.)

It was around September 2003. I can still remember that day clearly. The semester had just started, and I was feeling a little anxious. I was in a totally different place altogether. Would I survive here? Would I make it? Will I make mom and dad proud of me?

All these thoughts were coming to me as I sat down on the computer workstation in my library. As I began to scan through my emails that morning, I got a forward link from a friend. It was a link to witness the interview with God.

I clicked it…and it brought upon a change in my heart.

I was reassured of God’s love and His care for us. I got to see what God really cared about that we often tend to ignore. I got to reflect on what He thought about the way we live while here we think we’re living the right way. Most of all, I got to know that God is always there for me.

It’s been 3 1/2 years now, and I still think about that interview with God. It’s just a real faith-restoring session.

Have you seen the Interview with God?

The calling

We left the snow clad peaks of Antioch,
Headed south toward the scented orange groves
Of Aleppo.
The camels making good ground,
With that rolling gait
That sets riders rocking.
We lingered not long in the slave markets there,
Heading ever south toward Damascus, the pearl.
Here we rested, drank from its cool fountains,
Watered the camels, ate luscious grapes
Cool washed in mountain streams.
Ever south, upon the road where Saul of Tarsus later trod.
Where Syria adjoins Mesopotamia, on that flinty plain
Storm clouds massed.
We couched the camels and sheltered in their lee,
Using our headscarves as scant protection
As searing winds lashed us with flung gravel.
Dust clung to our lips and eyes for two days and nights.
As we prayed to God for solace.
Wet our lips with water,
Ate wild fig and date, washed down with dust.
The camels watered at Damascus could last ten days.
The Bedu have a philosophy that
A murder committed on the third day of a sandstorm
Is an understandable act of a deranged mind.
We prayed to God to stay our hand from such atrocity.
Came the calm and a landscape blasted featureless,
No track or trail remained.
Of a caravan headed north we enquired
“Is it true a new leader has been born?”
We are journeying to join his ranks
To free us from Rome`s tyranny”
“Yes, true enough, but he has no armed legions, only followers,
And his unfurled banner reads
Peace on Earth to all men.”

by williamstown
On Mar 14 12:16 PM 2006

It’s been a while since an allpoetry poet was featured on site. This time around it’s williamstown. You can get a sense of the man when he says, “Born 1920. Served under three Kings and one Queen. No not Victoria, Elizabeth 2. Well what else was there to do? Go down a coal mine?” For more poetry by this author and his biography please see:

http://allpoetry.com/williamstown

He writes for the journey here. From this poem we are shown the struggle of man with the elements and the significance of being “called to God.” We see the struggle in such an adventure for the character to survive his fellow man too. There’s an echo about the wisemen here — the part of the journey shown in detail you don’t necessarily consider. The writer alludes with a nastalgic sense of geography and social-historical importance. This poem reminds us of Christ’s purpose, and indeed, calls us to remember him and to remember his birth.

God bless,
asinnerliketherest

By James H J Prophet
(aka asinnerliketherest)

Jesus is Your Holiday Season

Merry Christmas
your holiday
break from work
statutory pay
Christ child
named by season
He is the reason
the meaning
Easter isn’t called Holiday Season
the Lord died for you
bled and died
and cried for you
He was born like you too
we honour His death
what about His life?
His birth
how He came to earth
why shouldn’t we care?

Merry Christmas
good will and peace
the message and meaning
Christ child born
for us
all human life
Merry Christmas
my brother
my mother
my father
God the father
sent His son
you don’t want
to know He is come?
What do you have against love?
Against peace?
Happy Holiday
you say
insulting God
on His birthday?

Happy holidays
like the season has no meaning
no being
while surrounded
with spirit
love and feeling
family
these things are God
the indescribable good

Your ignorance
loss of feeling
believing in no meaning
why so cold
no hold
on spiritual feeling?
Disrespecting the nature
the scripture
Christian rapture
resenting
unrelenting
misrepresenting
wisdom of seeing
heritage and value
and meaning
sense of wrong and right
good will
honourable fight
so empty we have no soul
no.

We have
Merry Christmas
proper title for a reason
signifies our respect
for the heritage
for the season
don’t wish me
don’t wish God
Happy Holiday
say it right on God’s morning
and night
Merry Christmas
Jesus
Happy Birthday Christ
I won’t disrespect my
mother or father
Canada my native land
or Queen Elisabeth
on their birthdays
I’m not going to insult God
Merry Christmas Christ
thanks be to God
who gave us Jesus
reason for this holiday
this season
called Christmas
after Christ
Merry Christmas
let’s still call it
honour Jesus’ birth
as we know it
the title God’s right

Note this is a bit of slam poetry – the raw quasi-rap street poetry you can find written and spoken by contemporary beatniks. When approaching non-believers with such a message it would be wiser to argue this message with a greater sense of understanding and neutrality then which is presented in this rant/chant.

I think it was two years ago the idea to call Christmas the “Holiday Season” in North America came about. My mother actually works for an American company and they are now told this Christmas that it is company policy that they must wish clients “Have a Happy Holiday”. Apparently wishing people a “Merry Christmas” is suddenly this year considered inappropriate. Commercials and Newscasters now wish “Happy Holidays”. At universities professors, even in Canada, are now wishing faculty and students “Have a Happy Holiday”: The subculture of the faithless is slowly and craftily learning to subvert Christian culture – to peel away Christ from Christmas of all things!

You may not think it’s a big deal changing the name of the season. The name identifies the season though, my friends, and the minute you take God out of the title you take God out of the identity and association of the season. Why is it we can celebrate Easter – acknowledging and signifying Christ’s death, but now we’re being told we cannot acknowledge and recognize his life? Recognizing Christ’s birth is important. We do this in the Christmas season and we call it the Christmas season to remember the significance of the event and to say, “Yes, Lord you were born on earth for us. This is your gift God to humankind. Your symbol of love and peace.” I for one will always call this season Christmas. I will teach my children, encourage family and friends and everyone I meet to call this season Christmas. Explain to people every chance I get the significance of supporting and honouring God during this season. If we don’t fight for God’s name and explain to people how this is an insult to our God and our faith, to the very heritage and meaning and “reason for the season” then how can future generations know and recognize the birth of the Lord?

People are won with “Good News” and Christ’s birth into this world. It is one of the most important elements of our faith. Friends please do not hesitate to call this season Christmas. Rejoice in the Lord, remember the Christ child and have a Merry Christmas. Amen

James H J Prophet
(aka asinnerliketherest)
1 Peter 3:15

I was just watching an online Christian broadcast earlier today and the message for the day was a very important one; it’s something we all know by heart as practicing Christians, but it’s something we don’t often practice, either it’s simply because its too difficult, or we just don’t “see” the importance in it, and that is putting Christ the center of our lives.

It’s interesting enough most of us Christians, while week after week being constantly reminded to put God in the very center of our lives by our pastors and priests, we just “can’t seem to do it”. I for one, will only go so far in putting Christ first; the effect will wear off after 2-3 days and before I know it, I’ll be back to my old self habits.

And it’s strange in a way, because it’s not like we do not want Christ. It also doesn’t appear that we’re ignoring the Great I Am. I’m often reminded of the great young ruler (Mark 10:17), who despite having everything in life, still went up to Jesus and still wanted to know what more he could do earn eternal life.

That very young ruler’s heart is in all of us. We all have ambitions, we all want to be successful in life, but at the same time, we also want God.

But what does Jesus say instead?

“Go sell everything you own, give it to the poor, and come follow me”

To follow Jesus does not mean one should live in poverty. To follow Jesus is to put Him first, to put him in that very center part of our lives, and too often, we don’t really give Jesus that spot. Not too say we don’t love Him or we don’t honour Him, but it’s just that we often put other things; relationships, career plans, money, our basic primary needs; it’s often those things that occupy our hearts.

But don’t you feel frustrated, despite still having that dream job, or having finally met that special someone; despite having a huge bonus, a fat paycheck, an ultra-cool sports car, despite having everything, don’t you just feel empty, depressed, frustrated with life?

That’s because when God created our hearts, right at the center, He created a spot, a special spot that means so much to us, and He first filled it with His presence. But because of sin and pride, man somehow lost that spot that God once held and often time that spot is empty. The spot never has a permanent resident, and even if it does, it feel empty. And even today, we still continue to feel that void, because the wrong resident is staying in that spot.

Perhaps it’s time we invite the true resident of that spot. Perhaps its time we realize that Christ and Christ alone needs and CAN occupy that spot. Perhaps it’s time we give God His rightful spot in us.

If there is one thing I want to add to my next year’s new year resolution, I am going to make this # 1 on my list, and I think there is no better time to start preparing your hearts for Jesus as He comes to the world in a few weeks time.

God bless.

I recently stumbled upon this beautiful and heart-felt video clip. I won’t say much, I’ll just let the video do the “talking”.

Admin’s Note: Hi everyone, yes we’re back after quite a long quite absense. Well things have been busy with us all, anyway we’re all doing fine and great. Our newest entry today comes from Mistyeiz, who has contributed to Have Faith in the past with her testimonials and other reflections. Anyway this entry just goes to show one thing : The Lord answers…and in ways we don’t really expect - God bless

In less than 12 hours, my yo-yo faith in the good Lord was restored last night at our weekly Charamatic meet. Ted and I usually attend this prayer meet because he’s always been with this group and secondly, it’s always nice to share your faith with people who feel the same as you so that you dont feel as if you are left to wander this cruel world alone, fighting for your faith. For me, this is nothing new as I was, for awhile, also a member of my Charasmatic group back home but somehow, my spirit withered and I dropped out. That happens every now and then, and sad to say, I wish it wasnt that way at all.

Anyway, it was nothing short of a miracle at how fast God response when you pray about something or for something. I have been looking out for a casual/short term job just ntil before December to fill up my time and most of all, make some money lar. A woman’s got to be independant to a certain level and thus, living up to that got me on my feet to search for a job. There have been many obstacles along the way meaning that I had problems just getting started to search for a job. Mostly because I’m so dependant on the net to do stuff. Looking for jobs in the papers was just one of the things I did but I had more confidence in the job search more than anything but having no internet was just a pain in the bottom!

But thankfully, MIL’s place still had Ted’s account running and that’s when I went into full swing. Last Saturday, I checked out my online resume and job searche and found a few suitable jobs and I applied for it. But I heard from no one so I took a look at my resume and noticed that I had not updated them and so I did. I said to Ted that I’d go to the CC nearby and check my mail out on Monday and that was what I did [While I was blogging as well lar!]. Sad to say, there was no reply from anyone.

But there were a couple of jobs available and I sent in my resume, hoping for the best. I can honestly tell you that I prayed for a job to become available but I wasnt praying hard for it - honestly. But the funny thing is, and I’ve heard this being said MANY times before, the Lord will show signs of His power, might and love to those who have not much faith in Him and I guess true to this believe - that evening itself, I got an interview for THIS Friday! Now if that is not a miracle of God, I dont know what is. I couldnt believe how fast He responded to my prayer. It’s either that or someone was praying very hard for me, for which I am totally appreciative of, of course. This all happened last evening just before prayer meet.

So after I got the call and set the date, I told Ted that we have to give thanks to the Lord during our prayer meet. It was then that the Lord spoke to me and affirmed me, reassured me that no matter what I do or how shallow my faith in His is, He will always be by me. Those precious words came from Mary, one of our members after our praise and worship session. She said,’Do not worry….let your worries fall unto Me and I shall take care of you. Let not your worries burden you, for I am there.’ I felt my heart just burst from being so overwhelmed by those words and His presence there among us. What I felt was beyond description….those words really put me in my place, it was a reminder that I should not stray away from him but in fact, grow deeper in love and faith of Him. I could have taken it as a slap to my face, a rude awakening from God telling me to,’Oi, wake up! I’m always here, dont think I dont know what’s going on in that muddled head of yours.’ But instead, I felt a gentle reminder that He is always there for me, to help me when I’m down even though I did not ask for help earnestly.

Isn’t it amazing to know that the Lord will never fail you? That He is there, ALWAYS. Watching over you, protecting you from harm and most of all, an eternal source of strength? I could go on and on about the many things He has done for me but I have to also remember that when I dont get things when I want them, it’s because all things happen in His time and not mine. That’s the only thing I know when things dont happen the way I want it and when I want it, is because only He knows what best for me.

The author is a newly wed chrisitan who blogs at Little Cozy Corner